Insulin cartridges in a sharps bin

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helli said:
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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I did ask about those but with the shortages when I was first prescribed Insulin recently, this was the only was I could get what I needed. I shall ask again when these pens run out as cartridges and a reusable pen would be easier to transport when I go abroad and I can take my small car fridge. That would leave more room in the boot to bring back goodies.
 
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.
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Wow, I had no idea you could recycle insulin pens. Thanks, shall do so in future and encourage local diabetes team to promote this.
 
Chris88 said:
Wow, I had no idea you could recycle insulin pens. Thanks, shall do so in future and encourage local diabetes team to promote this.
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Do be aware that the recycling of insulin pens is via special initiatives by the manufacturers. They cannot be recycled in the general household recycling bin as they are hard plastics. NovoNordisk have such an initiative and most pharmacies should have the recycle boxes available. I don't know about other manufacturers. It is however far better to get reuseable pens as the recycling process is almost certainly less environmentally friendly than reusing pens, bearing in mind that it involves lots of cardboard boxes for the return of pens and international shipping, before the recycling process is even begun. My gut feeling is that the green box tick is more of an incentive to the company than it actually being environmentally beneficial.
 
rebrascora said:
Do be aware that the recycling of insulin pens is via special initiatives by the manufacturers. They cannot be recycled in the general household recycling bin as they are hard plastics. NovoNordisk have such an initiative and most pharmacies should have the recycle boxes available. I don't know about other manufacturers. It is however far better to get reuseable pens as the recycling process is almost certainly less environmentally friendly than reusing pens, bearing in mind that it involves lots of cardboard boxes for the return of pens and international shipping, before the recycling process is even begun. My gut feeling is that the green box tick is more of an incentive to the company than it actually being environmentally beneficial.
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Sanofi do a recycling bag for their pens which you can get from their website.
 
Based more on instinct than anything else I put my used/empty vials in my sharps bin.

Set and sensor applicators I disassemble sufficient to put the inserter needles in sharps, recycle any caps etc with recycling markings on them, and put the hard plastics / mixed materials stuff in landfill.
 
It's "clinical waste" so goes in the sharps bin that includes that exact description for items to be included
 
Clinical waste comes from running a clinic, eg GP surgery, hospital, vets, dentists etc. The individual business makes arrangements with a waste contractor to remove their clinical waste and pay for this service.
Insulin dependent diabetics use sharps , eg needles, finger pricks etc: these are disposed of in the yellow sharps bins provided. These bins can be collected free of charge by the local council who dispose of them at no charge to the diabetic but at some cost to the council.
Unwanted personal medicines are disposed of at a local pharmacy free of charge.
If a health care business wishes to dispose of unwanted , eg date expired , medicines then the business has to make private arrangements with a contractor and pay for it.
Logically therefore I would suggest used ( empty) insulin cartridges or pens are not clinical waste or sharps waste or pharmaceutical waste ( as they are empty) so should be disposed of in household waste… unless there is an option to recycle via some company scheme.
If such items are discarded in yellow sharps bins then this means the yellow bins are filled quickly at extra cost to society when simple disposal in the household waste is appropriate and cheaper.
 
@Chris88 that is how you may see it but
- sharps collection varies around the country. It is not correct in all regions that they are collected by the local council.
- the rules in my region (whether logical or not) are as I stated. Used cartridges are not to be placed in household waste.
 
As you say rules vary from council to council, the situation I describe is for my region.
 
Today I had to go to the local chemist to pick up some spare Libre sensors as I am off to France next week for a holiday and when I was there saw a notice about recycling the NovoMix Flexpens. I asked and they gave me a box that you make up and can put up to 12 empty pens in and send them back for recycling. The good part is that it's prepaid.
 
AndyGlos said:
Today I had to go to the local chemist to pick up some spare Libre sensors as I am off to France next week for a holiday and when I was there saw a notice about recycling the NovoMix Flexpens. I asked and they gave me a box that you make up and can put up to 12 empty pens in and send them back for recycling. The good part is that it's prepaid.
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It is still much more environmentally friendly to get reusable pens and just use insulin cartridges.
 
rebrascora said:
It is still much more environmentally friendly to get reusable pens and just use insulin cartridges.
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I'm not disagreeing with your comment Barbara, but until I use up what I have here I can't ask for the reusable ones. At least I can send the empties back and they can recycle in whatever way they do that.
 
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