what, please, does everyone do with used needles (lancets)?

[everydayupsanddowns]

We did a little poll on this a while ago. The system seems to vary quite a bit depending on where you live 🙂

Sharps Bins? Easy or impossible.

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...

forum.diabetes.org.uk

 

[AaronH83]

I'm prescribed a 4L sharps bin, all my diabetes waste goes in it. Empty pens, needles, lancets, Libres, Libre applicators, test strips. When its full I take it to my pharmacy, the local health board arranges incineration. I used to work in a waste processing facility and the amount of diabetes waste that ended up in the household streams was shocking. I could pick out pens of Tresiba, Lantus, Novorapid, Libre packaging, test strips galore. Also found a grenade one day, that was fun...

 

[Fagor]

With needles, I use BD SafeClip which removes the risky bit of the needle. The rest of the needle goes into a used food container, then into general rubbish. Can't remember what I was told to do with filled SafeClip but probably put into general waste, along with Libre applicator etc.
Lancets and Libre sensors go into a sharps bin, which is swapped for a new one at pharmacy (used to be on prescription, this is NE Scotland, other regions may have different policy).

 

[rebrascora]

I'm prescribed a 4L sharps bin, all my diabetes waste goes in it. Empty pens, needles, lancets, Libres, Libre applicators, test strips. When its full I take it to my pharmacy, the local health board arranges incineration. I used to work in a waste processing facility and the amount of diabetes waste that ended up in the household streams was shocking. I could pick out pens of Tresiba, Lantus, Novorapid, Libre packaging, test strips galore. Also found a grenade one day, that was fun...

What is the problem with empty insulin pens (needles removed) and test strips going into landfill? They are not sharps? If I understand a reasoning for something I am happy to change my practices, but at the moment my test strips and empty pens/cartridges go in household waste. All needles and my annual lancet goes in a sharpsafe. Libre get saved until I have time to break them down into sharps applicator needles and plastic waste and the batteries are removed from Libre and disposed of separately. I am not sure that button batteries should be incinerated with sharps.

It is all terribly confusing though when no one knows what is correct, even health care professionals and waste disposal officers often give the wrong advice. I bet it has been all figured out in Germany where recycling has been way ahead of us for decades and I bet they have a national policy on hazardous waste instead of our hotchpotch none existent system. @Paulbreen Can you tell us how it should be done in an efficient country??

 

[AaronH83]

What is the problem with empty insulin pens (needles removed) and test strips going into landfill? They are not sharps? If I understand a reasoning for something I am happy to change my practices, but at the moment my test strips and empty pens/cartridges go in household waste. All needles and my annual lancet goes in a sharpsafe. Libre get saved until I have time to break them down into sharps applicator needles and plastic waste and the batteries are removed from Libre and disposed of separately. I am not sure that button batteries should be incinerated with sharps.

It is all terribly confusing though when no one knows what is correct, even health care professionals and waste disposal officers often give the wrong advice. I bet it has been all figured out in Germany where recycling has been way ahead of us for decades and I bet they have a national policy on hazardous waste instead of our hotchpotch none existent system. @Paulbreen Can you tell us how it should be done in an efficient country??

My issue was I had staff on the picking line sorting waste, having to sift through used test strips and insulin pens and needles. Obviously I know the risk for contamination is low once blood has left the body, but at the same time i wouldn't like to have to sort through waste with the risk of a needle stick injury and the blood tests, post exposure prophylaxis and anxiety that goes along with it. As far as I'm concerned, it's medical waste and should be packaged and treated as such in a proper medical waste facility, not in general household waste streams. Obviously I have a different view from many because of the work I did and the circumstances I encountered the waste in, I appreciate not everyone knows how your household waste is treated once it leaves your bin. It's no longer just a matter of burying the waste, it's sifted for paper and plastics that can be recycled, metals obviously too. The remainder is sent to landfill or shredded to create an alternative fuel for cement kilns. Kitchen waste and garden waste can be used to feed anaerobic digestion plants to generate power, and make compost.

 

[helli]

I'm prescribed a 4L sharps bin, all my diabetes waste goes in it. Empty pens, needles, lancets, Libres, Libre applicators, test strips.

Why do you put non sharp items in a sharps bin?

if blood was a problem all women would be allocated clinical waste bins when we reach puberty.

 

[AaronH83]

Why do you put non sharp items in a sharps bin?

if blood was a problem all women would be allocated clinical waste bins when we reach puberty.

I've always done it, to be honest. I understand where you're coming from with the sanitary products, but even those bins in commercial premises are emptied (at least here in Northern Ireland) by a company such as Rentokill and treated as clinical waste.

 

[Becka]

I could pick out pens of Tresiba, Lantus, Novorapid, Libre packaging, test strips galore. Also found a grenade one day, that was fun...

All the advice for test strips is to put then in the regular bin, so I put used ones into an old strip container kept by the sharps bin until it has room for no more, and then it goes in the bin. Unfortunately there is room in a container for far more than the 50 that they are supplies with, so I have loads of empty ones just lying around. I think at one time I did bag up a load of them and put them in the regular bin, but I hate doing that so the pile has regrown until It annoys me enough to dispose of again.

Packaging (boxes and information leaflets) go in the recycling bag.

Pens go in the regular bin, grrr. I have complained about that issue here, and the consultant said I would get a reusable pen when my prescription changes. It is bad enough I also take at least 15 tablets per day, with the associated plastic wast from that too because they have to come in blister packs rather than reusable plastic bottles a pharmacist could refill. Grrr.

And I do not mean to sound cheap, but I never let my grenades go to waste.

 

[AaronH83]

All the advice for test strips is to put then in the regular bin, so I put used ones into an old strip container kept by the sharps bin until it has room for no more, and then it goes in the bin. Unfortunately there is room in a container for far more than the 50 that they are supplies with, so I have loads of empty ones just lying around. I think at one time I did bag up a load of them and put them in the regular bin, but I hate doing that so the pile has regrown until It annoys me enough to dispose of again.

Packaging (boxes and information leaflets) go in the recycling bag.

Pens go in the regular bin, grrr. I have complained about that issue here, and the consultant said I would get a reusable pen when my prescription changes. It is bad enough I also take at least 15 tablets per day, with the associated plastic wast from that too because they have to come in blister packs rather than reusable plastic bottles a pharmacist could refill. Grrr.

And I do not mean to sound cheap, but I never let my grenades go to waste.

Like you I take a substantial amount of tablets too, and like you the amount of blister packs annoys me. As far as my diabetic waste goes, I'm just doing what I was told at the hospital when I was diagnosed and no one has ever told me otherwise. I guess I worry about insulin falling into the wrong hands too, despite the tiny amount left in a supposed empty pen there's usually a good 10-20 units and we know that can be lethal. And I'm probably over cautious as I work round waste all the time and know the risks present.

 

[ColinUK]

When I change lancets (which is every once in a while) I stick the needle into the flat disc part I’ve taken off the new one to expose that needle. Then I drop it into the old testing strip pot which also gets the joy of having used test strips popped into it.
When I open a new pot the old one becomes the new bin and the one now full of used strips and maybe a lancet goes in the bin.

 

[goodybags]

I used to get my sharps bin on prescription, and it was quite big
but now get sharps bin from Tesco pharmacy £1 in this area the council collect them FOC (have to book collection online)
its quite a small and neat small one,

 

[Paulbreen]

What is the problem with empty insulin pens (needles removed) and test strips going into landfill? They are not sharps? If I understand a reasoning for something I am happy to change my practices, but at the moment my test strips and empty pens/cartridges go in household waste. All needles and my annual lancet goes in a sharpsafe. Libre get saved until I have time to break them down into sharps applicator needles and plastic waste and the batteries are removed from Libre and disposed of separately. I am not sure that button batteries should be incinerated with sharps.

It is all terribly confusing though when no one knows what is correct, even health care professionals and waste disposal officers often give the wrong advice. I bet it has been all figured out in Germany where recycling has been way ahead of us for decades and I bet they have a national policy on hazardous waste instead of our hotchpotch none existent system. @Paulbreen Can you tell us how it should be done in an efficient country??

Hey Barbara, I have a sharps bin that everything goes into except the libre sensors as they have a button cell battery inside.
Sharp bin goes to our local recycling centre to be collected for incineration at a central plant for that process and the libre sensors go to a collection point for batteries at the same recycling site.

 

[ChrissieMM]

I asked in local Boots and they gave me a sharps box. Told me to seal it when full and bring it back. Tells you how to seal it on box. I’ve had it for months and it’s about 10% full.

 

[Paulbreen]

Ano

Hey Barbara, I have a sharps bin that everything goes into except the libre sensors as they have a button cell battery inside.
Sharp bin goes to our local recycling centre to be collected for incineration at a central plant for that process and the libre sensors go to a collection point for batteries at the same recycling site.

another little side note, our bins are extremely small, I think ours is 20l and we have a bio bin the same size, they are collected every week and we have a paper bin about 50l collected every month. Also they collect yellow bags once a month that we buy in the shops, you can put cans and plastics in them.
More or less every area has a collection area where you can take all kinds of rubbish from bottles to clothes, all apart from the real rubbish gets recycled, we don’t expect any collections from the council apart from the 2 little bins, we normally just take everything to the right place which can be found within 5 minutes from any house in the cities

 

[Becka]

My London borough is not greatly dissimilar, though the bins are bigger and all the recycling is collected together in a single bin Houses can also get a composting bin, and caddy for the kitchen. They are collected every week all year round.

There is a recycling centre in the south of the borough for residents only which takes almost everything, from curtains to dishwashers. This in addition to the bins for glass, paper, clothes etc. you get in most car parks. I never know if supermarkets collect recycling voluntarily or whether it is a planning permission requirement, but the big one near me has fourteen different bins in its car park.

But you can arrange collection of bulky items from the council instead of taking them yourself, although there is a fee. This matters because only around half of residents drive, and I am not sure you are allowed to take a dishwasher on the bus.

For some items you have to take it to the waste authority's centre, which is better located for the north of the borough, and sits on the Thames. They do not offer collection, I guess because we are one of the six areas of the country where the council (who is legally responsible for collection) is not also the management authority (which is legally responsible for disposal).

From there non-recycling waste gets transferred onto barges and is taken down the river to a waste-to-energy plant. Recycling is sorted and then sent off to different location, but they also have a workshop on site to repair broken items in a reusable state, which are then donated to charities to sell.

And despite all that, the council still needs a referral from an N.H.S. doctor every time you need them to collect a sharps bin. No wonder my surgery just collected them directly, it is less work to let people drop them in a bag at reception than have to go through all the bureaucracy. Which is presumably what the council wants, to avoid having to do it.

 

[SB2015]

Around here we phone for a sharps collection and they replace the bin when they collect the full one. It has all worked smoothly so far. I do take ages to fill a bin, as I only put sharps in.

My lancets come in a drum and retract when removed from the test kit. I tend to stick with one for quite a while, and there are six in a drum. Test strips I see as no different from an Elastoplast so put them in a bin. Mine now come in a cassette of 50 so that goes in the normal bin. My sensors don’t have anything sharp when I remove them but the inserter is the bit that goes to sharps, as it could prick someone else.

it always surprises me how different the advice is that we are all given.