Sharps Bins? Easy or impossible.

[everydayupsanddowns]

For members who create ‘sharps’ as part of their diabetes management, I am interested in how easy or difficult the local authority in your area makes it to gather and dispose of these properly.

I recently did a straw poll on Twitter and 42% of respondents either had no system in their area, or the system was a complete nightmare (Eg bins provided, but their collection was consistently refused or impractical)

The local authority has the legal responsibility to arrange a system, and some use pharmacies or hospitals, while others deliver and collect directly. Of course it’s a long time since we were told to just ‘put them in a bleach bottle and put them in general waste‘ and we arent supposed to do that any more, but many people say they have never been told anything about proper sharps disposal (or even what counts and should be put in the containers)

What do you do with yours?

#sortmysharps

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Everything done through the GP surgery for us and straightforward.

 

[grovesy]

I did your recent Twitter Poll too.
Mine is contracted out to a Private Contractor who you ring and they tell you what day to leave on your doorstep. This only change till last year where I left at the surgery, but they sent me a letter informing me of the change.
I have read reports of some people having to pay.

 

[MikeyBikey]

In turn I have disposed of sharps via the hospital/GP/pharmacist but each eventually after a year or two said they could no longer take them. The council will collect but it is a nightmare to arrange (you have to register) and you can wait in all day. The local tip (recycling centre) is well staffed (well if a young lady turns up) so why no have a container for medical waste there. Diabetes causes enough issues and disposing of sharps should be simple and easy!

 

[MikeyBikey]

I did your recent Twitter Poll too.
Mine is contracted out to a Private Contractor who you ring and they tell you what day to leave on your doorstep. This only change till last year where I left at the surgery, but they sent me a letter informing me of the change.
I have read reports of some people having to pay.

We have had problems with kids tampering with sharps boxes so the doorstep is not always ideal and why I wait in!

 

[Ljc]

Initially I had to register with the councils medical waste collection service who then contacted my Gp to see check I was entitled.

Now I just have to phone or go online to the councils waste collection service who tell me what date to leave my bin outside my door and leave me a new bright yellow one too.

An adjacent council to me has started charging this

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I make sure I have at least 4 boxes before I ring the council. Such a waste of money imho if people ring for collection of one box.

It would be so much cheaper to have a collection point at either a chemist/pharmacy or your local GP surgery one pick up and saves time and money.

 

[Robin]

I take mine to my GP surgery and swap it for an empty one. At least, I hope that’s what the system still is, last time they only had a huge 5 litre one, and it’s taking about a year to fill.

 

[Stitch147]

I take mine to the local health clinic and they swap the full one for an empty one. Nice and easy.

 

[eggyg]

I just take the full one to my GP surgery and get a new one, no fuss or hassle. They don’t even ask for my details!

 

[Felinia]

It took several calls to get a Sharps bin delivered, then 4 calls on 4 consecutive weeks when they failed to pick up as scheduled. And you have to go through the same rigmarole every time!

 

[Matchless]

In France I take it to the chemist they emty it and and give it back.

 

[Sally71]

I drop the full one off at the GP surgery for disposal, and then request a new one when I put a prescription in, and collect it from the pharmacy with all my daughter's other stuff. We get a 1 litre one and it takes a year to fill it, all we put in are the cannula inserter needles and cartridge filler caps, and once in a blue moon a pen needle.

 

[KARNAK]

Easy enough ring local council and they swap one for one, no problem.

 

[Kaylz]

Up my area in Scotland I just take it to the chemist and get an empty one, just did it yesterday in fact xx

 

[JJay]

When I lived in Warwickshire it was easy - GP's pharmacy collected the full ones and issued the new ones. Now I'm in Northants and although GP still issues prescription, they're dispensed by Boots, and I have to ring the local authority to collect full ones, can't do it online. They'll only collect fornightly on a Thursday so it's luck of the draw whether I have to wait 2 days or 2 weeks! Messy system IMO.

 

[PhoebeC]

I don’t know yet since we moved to a new county. When I asked at the GP surgery they said once I have 5 full bins they fill out a form and it will be collected from my house, it’s annoying having to store 5, I’ve got one full so far, nearly my second but it will be ages until I have 5!
Back in Warrington I could drop them off at the local clinic whenever I liked as long as it was labelled correctly and shut.
Hopefully the new set up will go okay, but at the time I asked the receptionists couldn’t find the form they would need to complete to get it done so I am not hopeful

 

[MikeyBikey]

Please guys vote! There are many more replies than votes. Everyday shouldn't need to analyse posts!

 

[novorapidboi26]

I have never owned a sharps bin in my 20 years diabetic......

when injecting, I snipped the needles with a BD Safeclip.........now on the pump, the needle is conveniently pushed inside its own housing to dispose of normally.....

On the Libre now but when I do test my blood I do use a lancet and the needle, which lasts a while lets be honest, is wrapped in tissue and again disposed into the general waste...

My local authority seem to place all responsibility of this service on to the pharmacies and GPs.........I'm never in the GPs but I suppose I could inquire at the pharmacy...

 

[Lucylemonpip]

Actually, thinking about it now, I have no idea whether there is a collection or bin system in my area.
My disposable finger prickers have a small flat piece of firm plastic covering the sharp end, so when I remove a pricker from the erm, pen-like thingy, I pop the new pricker cap onto the old prickers sharp end (I’m actually trying not to laugh now, as the words I’m using sound rude. I have a childish humour from time to time! Lol!) and then pop it in, for example, an empty frozen pea bag or some such and bury it deep in the middle of my kitchen rubbish bin.