Sharps Box

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Lewy

Lewy

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Just a quick one guys if I may; Where do I get a new sharps box from, is it from my GP or Hospital? And where do I hand it in once its full? 😱

I'm going to see the Consultant at the Diabetology Unit today and I was thinking of taking it with me, as it was the hospital who originally gave me my first. Good idea?

Thank you very much in advance 😛
 
Ask the hospital if they take them back. The disposal of sharps bins varies from area to area. SOme places the doctor or the pharmacy will do it, other areas you arange with the local council to take them away. SInce you have an appointment at the hospital it is a good place to start.
 
I am very sorry to say that I have never used a a sharps box........a bd safe clip yes, from time to time, but never a box........

Is the bin not good enough??
 
novorapidboi26 said:
I am very sorry to say that I have never used a a sharps box........a bd safe clip yes, from time to time, but never a box........

Is the bin not good enough??
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😛 lol u do make me laugh!! you sooo know your gona get told off lol , but sharps bins are the nightmare subject

but for for original question....

it depends where u live , what your dr's is like , what your pharmacy is like etc etc

there is not hard and fast rule when it comes to sharps bins , some places people have no problem others cant get rid of them at all ,just hope ur in an area that has no prob
 
Thre is no provision for sharps disposal in my area. I'm told just to use an empty margarine tub, then when it's full tape it up before throwing in the bin. Although I find I use much more sharps than butter, so tend to use 2ltr juice bottles instead.

Insulin pumps and CGMs seem to be very easy to get in my area though. I'd much rather have funding for this than sharps disposal. Very grateful me & hubby are not binmen though...
 
If there's no provision for sharps bins, then any bottle with a child-proof top eg bleach / toilet cleaner / pills are a bit safer, and usually more robust than juice bottles.
Interesting point about deciding how to allocate money to insulin pumps / CGMs rather than sharps bins, but while health agencies may supply sharps bins, but local authorities collect & dispose of full bins from homes, if health agencies won't take them back.
 
Bit of info re sharpes bins!!

If your prescription says sharpes bin - they are not allowed to dispense. It has to to say sharpes container. (Apparently)

My chemist informed me of this last time I had one on my prescription - she said in future it had to say sharpes container - health & safety and all that!! but she would let me have it this time.
 
In terms of dispensing of my sharp bins I can leave mine at my GPs. When I leave one there I get offered a new empty one. I do also have the option of requesting a fresh one on prescription.

It does always surprise me to hear that GP surgeries or hospitals do not accept the bins when full because they must all use these bins themselves and hence have an arrangement in place for dealing with them. I guess for a large surgery the volume could become a problem and it does also prevent any problem from a patient over filling them or whatever.

A couple of years ago a new medical waste incinerator plant opened up near to where I work. Given the size of the building and the amount of traffic that visits it each day I would say that this is a growth industry!
 
We get ours from GP, and hand it back to GP reception when full - mind you they are rather overeacting when collect them e.g asked if it's locked properly when I couldn't do more then call security guard to pick it up!!
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. Just came back from hospital appointment now and they told me to take it to my GP's and ask for another one on prescription.

Although one thing they did say was that I shouldn't ever use anything other than a sharps box to dispose of needles because they must be destroyed by incineration and are classed as clinical waste.

Mentions it here as well http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Treatments/Insulin/Disposal_of_sharps/
 
Just a note Lewy, if your GP gets the hump and you have issues with them try your council, waste department, I and several others, yes not all, get them issued and picked up when full from our front door when full through the local council.
 
I wish we could just put our sharps bins in the normal waste. They are such a pain! In Australia you just put them in the bin when they are full, seems reasonable to me.
 
I cheat as I work in a hospital, so I take them from stores and get rid of them at work too. That reminds me, I need to get rid of my old one and get a new one as I've run out of ideas for containers!
 
I too will be using work to dispose of/get hold of them. However, my mum (a nurse) packed me off to Brighton with an 11.4l one so I don't think I'll be needing one for a little while...
 
I also had a nightmare i was nearly at the point where i was going to leave it on the receptionist desk and walk out nobody wanted to take responsibility for it and they even wanted me to write a letter to my council to prove i was a diabetic, if it had not been for a nurse sick of the sight of me in there id still be sdat with my bin now.
 
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