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Disposal of used pre-filled injection pens

S

sweepers

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi
Just wondered if members are using their sharp bins for disposal of the above, even without needles and also used insulin cartridges. Thanks
 
I have reusable pens (NovoPen Echoes which are absoilutely brilliant bits of kit) and the cartridges for them go in household waste. Novo Nordisk operate a recycling scheme and boxes for returning disposable pens are available from participating pharmacies or I believe you can request them from the company although it is more environmentally friendly to change to reusable pens. I think some other insulin manufacturers operate similar returns schemes for disposable pens.
The only things which go into my sharps box are needles and the annual lancet (I change my lancet once a year on St Swithin's day) and the introducer needles from my Libre after I have dismantled the applicator.
 
sweepers said:
Hi
Just wondered if members are using their sharp bins for disposal of the above, even without needles and also used insulin cartridges. Thanks
Click to expand...
No. They aren’t sharp. Only sharp things go in the sharps bin so the inner needle (with the inner needle lid if you prefer but it isn’t sharp so doesn’t need to), but not the plastic outer needle cap, not the cartridge, and not the pen
 
Used (pre-filled) pens depending on make are recyclable back to the manufacturer or through their local drop off points but they are not sharp so no need to go in a sharps container
 
Thank you for your responses. I guess my OCD brain is thinking there is still a small amount of insulin left in the pens so is it safer not to put in the general rubbish! I guess I’m over thinking this
 
sweepers said:
I guess my OCD brain is thinking there is still a small amount of insulin left in the pens so is it safer not to put in the general rubbish! I guess I’m over thinking this
Click to expand...
Not sure. Given that insulin (or insulin analogue) is basically a hormone that'll have no effect when consumed by anything, I guess it's harmless to throw away in a way that many medications aren't. But you're right, it's not good to throw medication away in general.
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Not sure. Given that insulin (or insulin analogue) is basically a hormone that'll have no effect when consumed by anything, I guess it's harmless to throw away in a way that many medications aren't. But you're right, it's not good to throw medication away in general.
Click to expand...
Couldn't you have the same problem with a bottle of medicine? Even after you have "used it up", there will still be a little left in the bottom of the bottle. You could swill it around with water but then you are adding some medicine to the water/sewage system.
I recycle the bottle which can have traces of medication in it.

Can't say I have every thought there is any problem with this. Until now!
 
helli said:
Couldn't you have the same problem with a bottle of medicine? Even after you have "used it up", there will still be a little left in the bottom of the bottle. You could swill it around with water but then you are adding some medicine to the water/sewage system.
I recycle the bottle which can have traces of medication in it.
Click to expand...
I presume that's regarded as OK. There's specific advice that in general unused (or expired) medication should be returned to a pharmacy, but I don't think that's intended to apply to empty containers. If it is, the advice ought to be clearer about that, I think. I can't imagine a pharmacy being happy disposing of empty containers (though I noticed my local pharmacy now has a thing for taking used blister packs, I think for recycling rather than safe disposal).
 
sweepers said:
Thank you for your responses. I guess my OCD brain is thinking there is still a small amount of insulin left in the pens so is it safer not to put in the general rubbish! I guess I’m over thinking this
Click to expand...
Insulin is a liquid. It’s not sharp.
 
helli said:
Couldn't you have the same problem with a bottle of medicine? Even after you have "used it up", there will still be a little left in the bottom of the bottle. You could swill it around with water but then you are adding some medicine to the water/sewage system.
I recycle the bottle which can have traces of medication in it.

Can't say I have every thought there is any problem with this. Until now!
Click to expand...

And you’d be excreting some of it anyway, which, in theory, can get into our water supplies. There was a fuss about synthetic hormones from the Pill a few years ago.
 
You can pick up a pencycle box from Boots and fill it with your used pens then just pop it in the post to be recycled, it doesn't cost anything as the postage is pre paid or alternatively if you want to use less plastic you can ask your GP to switch you over to reusable pens.
Kind regards
Martin
 
Martin62 said:
You can pick up a pencycle box from Boots and fill it with your used pens then just pop it in the post to be recycled, it doesn't cost anything as the postage is pre paid or alternatively if you want to use less plastic you can ask your GP to switch you over to reusable pens.
Kind regards
Martin
Click to expand...
It depends upon the brand of insulin pens.
I believe only NovoNordisk pens can be recycled this way.
Whilst their insulins are pretty common, their reusable pens are the best so don’t know how common the single use pens are.
 
You are both correct, I was just pointing out to the original poster that this is an available option if you use NovoNordisk insulin pens. I used it when I was on prefilled pens .
 
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