Yellow Sharps Boxes

[LlanbedrBoy]

Hi Folks,
I have learned today that the Yellow Sharps Boxes are now considered to be household waste and as such can no longer be collected by my local Surgery. Great, except that the local Council insists that these are collected by a specialist firm who will charge a minimum of £3.24 per box.

Local Council info may be found at:
https://www.colchester.gov.uk/info/cbc-article/?catid=new-rubbish-collections&id=KA-02415

Is this a National situation?

 

[PhoebeC]

I don't know. I've stored mine for years. I have loads of the bloody things!

But when I did a first aid course last year, the tutor said that there are certain yellow bin bags you can buy for any medical waste and you can just put them in the bin, then the waste management sites known to look out for them and just take them out as its processed. I haven't looked into it further. But it sounds good.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Folks,
I have learned today that the Yellow Sharps Boxes are now considered to be household waste and as such can no longer be collected by my local Surgery. Great, except that the local Council insists that these are collected by a specialist firm who will charge a minimum of £3.24 per box.

Local Council info may be found at:
https://www.colchester.gov.uk/info/cbc-article/?catid=new-rubbish-collections&id=KA-02415

Is this a National situation?

This issue crops up quite often. Unfortunately, there isn't a national policy, it's usually one that is dealt with either by the GP surgery or the local Council. When in Southampton the boxes they issued 5 litre boxes 😱 and collected when full - usually took me at least two years to fill! You had to ge a referral from the GP to be put on the list for the service. Here in Harrogate I have been told I can just drop them in at the surgery - they issue half litre ones.

They're surely not 'household' waste though, they are clinical waste - household suggests you could just put them in your ordinary bin, which can't be right. Seems wrong that you would have to pay for their collection and disposal Have you enquired at your local hospital?

I wonder if @Martha Diabetes UK or @Gwen Diabetes UK know if there is a Diabetes UK position on the safe disposal of sharps bins?

 

[Emmakeets]

NHS website advises the following;

'Disposing of your full sharps bin
Arrangements for disposing of full sharps bins vary from area to area.

If you have a medical condition, such as diabetes, and use needles to self-medicate at home, your local council is responsible for collecting your full sharps bin.

You can find out more from your local council's website. Local councils can charge for this service, but most don't.'

My local council collect mine for free and leave the new one outside the door. Probably worth giving them a call.

 

[Northerner]

Local councils can charge for this service, but most don't.'

Looks like you may have drawn a short straw, @LlanbedrBoy Had any thoughts lately about moving house? Alternatively, could you get a massive bin prescribed - as I said earlier, mine used to be 5L and took ages to fill!

 

[The_petal]

My council also collect free and leave a fresh one at the door, I just phone when it is full.

 

[Deleted member 22730]

This issue crops up quite often. Unfortunately, there isn't a national policy, it's usually one that is dealt with either by the GP surgery or the local Council. When in Southampton the boxes they issued 5 litre boxes 😱 and collected when full - usually took me at least two years to fill! You had to ge a referral from the GP to be put on the list for the service. Here in Harrogate I have been told I can just drop them in at the surgery - they issue half litre ones.

They're surely not 'household' waste though, they are clinical waste - household suggests you could just put them in your ordinary bin, which can't be right. Seems wrong that you would have to pay for their collection and disposal Have you enquired at your local hospital?

I wonder if @Martha Diabetes UK or @Gwen Diabetes UK know if there is a Diabetes UK position on the safe disposal of sharps bins?

I found a position statement on our website but it's from 2015. I'll get in touch with our Policy team and see if they have anything more recent!

 

[Matt Cycle]

Just do what we used to do years ago (and were told to do by the DSN) and shove them in a drinks can. Once full, wedge the opening with cotton wool or something and chuck it in your bin.

 

[Northerner]

Just do what we used to do years ago (and were told to do by the DSN) and shove them in a drinks can. Once full, wedge the opening with cotton wool or something and chuck it in your bin.

I think @Copepod used to suggest putting them in an old bleach bottle with a childproof top and disposing in normal waste, although I'm not sure if that might be frowned on these days, as you'd be expected to recycle the bottle.

 

[MRJB]

Hi Folks,
I have learned today that the Yellow Sharps Boxes are now considered to be household waste and as such can no longer be collected by my local Surgery. Great, except that the local Council insists that these are collected by a specialist firm who will charge a minimum of £3.24 per box.

Local Council info may be found at:
https://www.colchester.gov.uk/info/cbc-article/?catid=new-rubbish-collections&id=KA-02415

Is this a National situation?

You appear to be correct. I have been advised by my local CCG that there was a national directive during last year (from NHS England) drawing attention to the regulations regarding disposal of sharps generated in a domestic environment. These regs state that such sharps are regarded as domestic waste and the responsibility for disposal lies with the local authority.

In my area (south essex) it appears that all surgeries, clinics and pharmacists were instructed to stop accepting/exchanging filled sharps bins with effect from 1st January 2019 and refer people to the local authority for disposal services.

My local authority has sub-contracted the disposal of domestic sharps to their waste disposal contractor (Veolia) who will only collect bins by prior arrangement at a charge of £8.50 (£2.25 to supply a new bin (size not specified) and £6.50 for collection). Users of their service have to register and pay in advance.

This issue has been covered in the local press and the above situation publicly confirmed by the councillor responsible for public health.

 

[Carolg]

I got my sharps bin from pharmacy and told to take it back there

 

[KARNAK]

Council takes bin away and leaves an empty one.

 

[trophywench]

My council will collect bins but not supply new ones, have to get them on prescription. I questioned how sensible it was to leave a sharps bin outside my front door unattended and unseen by us until someone collects it when across the front of our house is a bus stop and one side of our front garden (the drive side) is open to a public footpath to the head of the cul de sac at the rear of our back garden. There's no fence now, only the rails, because passers by break it down deliberately every time we rebuild it - and for some reason said council won't let us have an electric fence or a barbed wire entanglement.

Last time we had a new washing machine, Pete humped it out of the front door and came inside to get the 'car' keys to load it and take it down the tip. Before he could get back out of the open door there was a white van man knocking to ask if we wanted it?

It's absolutely Not Safe to leave anything unsecured/ not nailed down in your front garden here!

 

[TTS]

Good lord; unbelievable! I thought I would simply dump mine at any chemist?! Bizarre and no, I couldn't and wouldn't leave a sharps box outside!! Gracious. I will have to enquire at both counties I hang about in...

 

[pippaandben]

My local council used to collect on a phone call with no limit. When I phoned last week this has changed. I can now have 2 free collections a year - any others will be charged at £6 per collection. However you can have any number of sharps bins at any one collection so I was told to just store them for 6 months and then call. I now have to battle for another bin from surgery as it is no longer on my repeat prescription list. They also removed my Humalog insulin last time and thyroxine!!! It's not as if I will suddenly get better and not need either of them any more!!

 

[Northerner]

My local council used to collect on a phone call with no limit. When I phoned last week this has changed. I can now have 2 free collections a year - any others will be charged at £6 per collection. However you can have any number of sharps bins at any one collection so I was told to just store them for 6 months and then call. I now have to battle for another bin from surgery as it is no longer on my repeat prescription list. They also removed my Humalog insulin last time and thyroxine!!! It's not as if I will suddenly get better and not need either of them any more!!

Obviously keeping you on your toes! 😱 🙂

 

[PhoebeC]

20 minutes searching google, I’m non the wiser, nothing on the local hospital about it, nothing on the council site. I’ll phone the council tomorrow

 

[TTS]

Bonkers!! What a bizarre situation? I got a long way to go before I have to get shot of my sharps...nonetheless!

 

[Deleted member 22730]

Hi everyone. I found our latest position statement on sharps disposal. It was updated in December 2018 if anyone wants to take a look: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/resourc...9.1064135126.1544635527-1362513958.1522313951

 

[PhoebeC]

So today I phoned the local council. I explained the diabetes UK thing and legal guidelines etc. That even the local hospital say it should be the council. Could hear her googling, repeating what I had told her. Told me the address for the local Diabetes UK office, I said there’s no way they will take them. She put me on hold. She had no idea. She said she’d spoken to her managera she tehy spoke to Eastw, they said it’s not them, it comes from the issuer of the bin, the NHS or the pharmacy. I challenged this. And she just repeated it.

Then I phoned my pharmacy, Tesco’s, always help me out. Chemist said they don’t collect them and don’t know any other chemists that do, think it’s the council, I explained the call with the council. Said try GP as the issue it.

Called GP surgey. Spoke to clueless but understanding receptionist, also had no idea. Put on hold. They don’t know. “Never been asked it, we prescribe lots out, but I’ve never thought about the next parts” 🙄 she’s taken my number and will investigate and let me know tomorrow. I’ve got plenty. Might have 13 years worth ha!

Will update on the progress