Disposal of used insulin pens

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Roozle

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Morning all. I keep forgetting to ask my lovely diabetes nurses what is the best way to dispose of used insulin pens. Can they be recycled or do you just black bin them?
 
They can’t be recycled, I put them in the bin. Switching to reusable pens creates less plastic waste if you’re looking to do that.
 
Hi @Roozle Depending on what insulins you use, you’ll find reusable pens much smarter-looking and robust. I have a nice metal one for my Humalog. They’re like the old fountain pens - just drop in a fresh cartridge when yours runs out. The cartridges take up a lot less space in the fridge too!

If you can’t use those for some reason then you’ll just have to put your used disposable pens in the rubbish.
 
Mine just go in the regular rubbish.
 
Yep - the normal non recycleable rubbish bin, emptied by the council regularly, wherever you happen to live.
 
I was told, by the doctors, to put my used pens in my Sharp’s container.
 
DuncanLord said:
I was told, by the doctors, to put my used pens in my Sharp’s container.
Click to expand...
Golly, what size sharps container do you have that will fit a whole pen in?! We only get a 1 litre one, it's only the needle that's sharp and you take that off.
 
I always put my used insulin pens in my sharps bucket but I use two insulin pens. I use a Trulicity Insulin pen every Monday morning that lasts me a week these Trulicity pens are quite chunky and are bigger than my Humulin M3 pens. But my sharps bin are really quite tall and I would say about 9 inches wide I get mine from my Diabetic Centre when one bin is full they just give me another empty one in return. My sharps bin lasts me about 2 months.
 
I don’t understand why people are putting insulin pens in their sharps bin. They aren’t sharp.
 
I always put my empty pens in the rubbish bin
 
Lucyr said:
I don’t understand why people are putting insulin pens in their sharps bin. They aren’t sharp.
Click to expand...

Me too. Surely you just remove the final needle and chuck the plastic pen bit in the bin? Sharps bins are for sharps - needles, syringes, etc.
 
Lucyr said:
I don’t understand why people are putting insulin pens in their sharps bin. They aren’t sharp.
Click to expand...
I was told by my diabetes Nurse that's where they should go to be safe. You may not realise that the needle is still attached to the Trulicity Insulin pen as there is no way to snap the needle off not like the Humulin Insulin needles where they can be snapped off with the needle machine. Think about what small kids do they like to mess and touch things I hate to think what would happen if they punctured the ends of there tiny finger by touching the Trulicity Insulin pen, don't forget that the needle in the Trulicity pen is quite long and big.
 
kevinr said:
You may not realise that the needle is still attached to the Trulicity Insulin pen
Click to expand...
I didn't realise you were talking about Trulicity.
This is different to insulin pens (Trulicity is not an insulin) which allow us to dial up specific dose and work through a cartridge in the pens using a new needle each time.
I have just looked at the Trulicity pens online and now understand where you are coming from.

For insulin pens with removable needles, they do not need to go in sharps containers.
 
kevinr said:
I was told by my diabetes Nurse that's where they should go to be safe. You may not realise that the needle is still attached to the Trulicity Insulin pen as there is no way to snap the needle off not like the Humulin Insulin needles where they can be snapped off with the needle machine. Think about what small kids do they like to mess and touch things I hate to think what would happen if they punctured the ends of there tiny finger by touching the Trulicity Insulin pen, don't forget that the needle in the Trulicity pen is quite long and big.
Click to expand...
Trulicity isn’t an insulin pen
 
I wonder if a BD Safeclip might work @kevinr ?

It’s a little clipping device that takes the needles off used syringes and stores them until it’s full and then just the needles can go in the sharps container sealed in the BD Safeclip.

I’m not sure they still make them, but they were very handy when I was first diagnosed. 🙂
 
I use disposable at the moment too but I have a review booked in soon so I’m going to ask if I can go to reuseable.

In terms of sharp bins, mines a tall 7 litre i believe.
 
Oh I think I have got a couple of them laying in my medical chest I had them given to me but they came in a plain box if I remember correctly my neighbour said to me these will be good for your insulin needles. But I just put them in my medical chest and forgot about them until you have just told me about them. Thank you everydayupsanddowns
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top