Insulin cartridges in a sharps bin

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helli

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
While I was checking my council's website to confirm which waste is to be collected tomorrow, I was distracted by the page on clincal and sharps collection.
I was surprised to see

You can book a sharps collection if you need to dispose of any of the following items:
  • Syringes
  • Needles
  • Insulin cartridges
  • Finger pricking devices
  • Lancets
Am I odd for not disposing of my plastic insulin cartridges in a sharps bin?
I guess they may be slightly sharp if you break it but couldn't you say the same for most plastic?
 
I put them in the normal bin given they aren’t sharp
 
helli said:
While I was checking my council's website to confirm which waste is to be collected tomorrow, I was distracted by the page on clincal and sharps collection.
I was surprised to see

You can book a sharps collection if you need to dispose of any of the following items:
  • Syringes
  • Needles
  • Insulin cartridges
  • Finger pricking devices
  • Lancets
Am I odd for not disposing of my plastic insulin cartridges in a sharps bin?
I guess they may be slightly sharp if you break it but couldn't you say the same for most plastic?
Click to expand...
I had this query recently as I've just switched to cartridges nurse told me to put them in sharps bin
 
helli said:
Am I odd for not disposing of my plastic insulin cartridges in a sharps bin?
Click to expand...
Are your cartridges plastic? Mine (NovoRapid) are definitely glass. I'm in Germany, so maybe it's different or some insulins that I don't use come in in plastic.

I also put other waste like CGM applicators and used infusion sets in my sharps bin.

I haven't been told to put cartridges in my sharps bins, but I do since they're glass, just as I would non-medical glass, sewing needles or other household sharps I was throwing away. I pay for my sharps bins, so I don't feel I need to restrict my sharps bins to solely medical sharps.
 
helli said:
While I was checking my council's website to confirm which waste is to be collected tomorrow, I was distracted by the page on clincal and sharps collection.
I was surprised to see

You can book a sharps collection if you need to dispose of any of the following items:
  • Syringes
  • Needles
  • Insulin cartridges
  • Finger pricking devices
  • Lancets
Am I odd for not disposing of my plastic insulin cartridges in a sharps bin?
I guess they may be slightly sharp if you break it but couldn't you say the same for most plastic?
Click to expand...
 
Finn said:
I haven't been told to put cartridges in my sharps bins, but I do since they're glass, just as I would non-medical glass, sewing needles or other household sharps I was throwing away. I pay for my sharps bins, so I don't feel I need to restrict my sharps bins to solely medical sharps.
Click to expand...
In the UK people wouldn’t buy a sharps bin just to dispose of sewing needles or non medical glass or household sharps. They’d put them in the recycling or domestic waste. So I take the same approach as a diabetic and my sharps bin is kept for medical sharps
 
Very surprise Councils collecting sharps bins It NO on Teesside. I even have trouble and complaints at Doctors for bringing too many boxes like three 7L
 
According to our local authority (West Northants), who collect clinical waste/sharps boxes round here:

"Clinical waste
The Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, defines “clinical waste” as waste from a healthcare activity (including veterinary healthcare) that:
  • (a) contains viable micro-organisms or their toxins which are known or reliably believed to cause disease in humans or other living organisms
  • (b) contains or is contaminated with a medicine that contains a biologically active pharmaceutical agent, or
  • (c) is a sharp, or a body fluid or other biological material (including human and animal tissue) containing or contaminated with a dangerous substance within the meaning of Council Directive 67/548/EEC on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances” "
and

"Sharps
You can request a sharps collection for needles and syringes. These must be placed in a sharps box provided by your GP or healthcare provider."

I never considered cartridges to be (b), but perhaps they are?
 
Well Sanofi say put used cartridges in normal household waste, which matches what I do with them
 

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Also I hadn’t realised Sanofi now do a recycle scheme for used disposable pens. Just ordered an envelope for my Lantus pens

www.mysanofiinsulin.co.uk

RePen - | Sanofi Diabetes Patients Website

RePen Recycling - A Sanofi Initiative - Give your used insulin pen a second life
www.mysanofiinsulin.co.uk www.mysanofiinsulin.co.uk
 
Lilly said:
Very surprise Councils collecting sharps bins It NO on Teesside. I even have trouble and complaints at Doctors for bringing too many boxes like three 7L
Click to expand...
I believe local authorities have to arrange some mechanism for dealing with them, but that might be returning them to GP surgeries, pharmacies, hospitals, or having someone or other collect them. Varies.
 
JJay said:
According to our local authority (West Northants), who collect clinical waste/sharps boxes round here:

"Clinical waste
The Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, defines “clinical waste” as waste from a healthcare activity (including veterinary healthcare) that:
  • (a) contains viable micro-organisms or their toxins which are known or reliably believed to cause disease in humans or other living organisms
  • (b) contains or is contaminated with a medicine that contains a biologically active pharmaceutical agent, or
  • (c) is a sharp, or a body fluid or other biological material (including human and animal tissue) containing or contaminated with a dangerous substance within the meaning of Council Directive 67/548/EEC on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances” "
and

"Sharps
You can request a sharps collection for needles and syringes. These must be placed in a sharps box provided by your GP or healthcare provider."

I never considered cartridges to be (b), but perhaps they are?
Click to expand...
My council has a different definition for clinical waste and sharps. Not surprising as they are different things and go in different bins.
And the insulin cartridges are listed under the sharps.

Clinical waste is
  • Human tissue
  • Blood or bodily fluids
  • Excretions
  • Swabs or dressings
  • Large volumes of sanitary waste (such as incontinence pads, catheters or stomach pouches)
So nothing to do with diabetes.

For the sake of limiting the risk of personal identification I am not going to share the name of my council.
 
Lucyr said:
In the UK people wouldn’t buy a sharps bin just to dispose of sewing needles or non medical glass or household sharps. They’d put them in the recycling or domestic waste. So I take the same approach as a diabetic and my sharps bin is kept for medical sharps
Click to expand...
Oh yes, of course. I just figured if it's sharp and I have a sharps bin, I'll put it in there. Plus my sharp non-medical waste is usually tiny, so it just fills in the gaps between the larger stuff in the sharps bin.

I wouldn't put cartridges in recycling (glass or plastic) since it's a mixed material with the rubber stopper, but I understand these rules vary between councils and countries. Germany has neighbourhood glass recycling bins but they can't be used for mixed materials, so it's either the bin or the sharps bin. I choose to use the sharps bin since I have the option.
 
Lilly said:
Very surprise Councils collecting sharps bins It NO on Teesside. I even have trouble and complaints at Doctors for bringing too many boxes like three 7L
Click to expand...
Differnt councils have differnt systems. Some councils contract out to third party companies.
 
I always used to throw my late partners cartridges into the recycle bin as the Nurse said to do that. Now I am diabetic and have the prefilled NovoMix 30 Flexi pens I've been told to put those into my sharps bin together with the Libre sensors and needles. Just as well they gave me a 7 L sharps bin.
 
AndyGlos said:
I always used to throw my late partners cartridges into the recycle bin as the Nurse said to do that. Now I am diabetic and have the prefilled NovoMix 30 Flexi pens I've been told to put those into my sharps bin together with the Libre sensors and needles. Just as well they gave me a 7 L sharps bin.
Click to expand...
The pens definitely don’t go in the sharps bin. You could use the NovoNordisk recycle scheme for those. https://www.pen-cycle.co.uk/insulin-patients/how-can-i-pencycle.html
 
AndyGlos said:
I always used to throw my late partners cartridges into the recycle bin as the Nurse said to do that. Now I am diabetic and have the prefilled NovoMix 30 Flexi pens I've been told to put those into my sharps bin together with the Libre sensors and needles. Just as well they gave me a 7 L sharps bin.
Click to expand...
You can get a smaller bin and use reusable pens with cartridges.
They are more robust, the cartridge take up less space and produce less waste so better for the environment.
 
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