Hello,
Thanks to this forum I have been self injecting for almost a year, with great results.
My question is where do you dispose of your sharps bins once they are full? I am unable to use any local authority collections or return to my GP as I obviously don’t have a prescription. Does anyone have any advice?
Have you tried your local council? Some don't ask about prescriptions - like mine.
Just started my search for disposal,, trying to think ahead and be responsible and it seems my local council will only collect if I provide proof from my GP that I self medicate at home. Not sure where I’m going to dispose of my bin when the time comes. I have this vision of ordering a new bin every 6 months or so and going out at night, leaving my full bin in the doorway of a chemist or hospital 😩
My council website said they needed a GP letter but I arranged a collection and they collected anyway. Ironically I rang a few 'drug' support groups but they declined to take my sharps bin as I wasn't an illegal drug user. The guy on the phone was embarrassed when I said if I tell you it's an illegal drug you'll take it!??
That’s crazy isn’t it. I’ve noticed during my own searches that if I was an illegal drug user I’d be able to arrange disposal and replacement! 🤷🏻♀️
I use a hospital drop off you could phone your local hospital and ask if they’ll accept or failing that phone around your pharmacies and ask if they know where you could drop off.It always surprises me how difficult this is because it’s a very responsible thing to do isn’t it.best of luck x
Thank you for your responses.
Unfortunately my local council won’t collect or dispose, I made a call to them yesterday. I do remember trying to get them to pick up a sharps box after I had my second child and it took six months of phone calls to finally get it sorted.
I will try calling around some local pharmacies, thank you for that suggestion.
It is frustrating as I don’t want to dispose of it incorrectly and be irresponsible, my understanding is that disposing of clinical waste is very expensive which is why there is no obvious means of disposal.
It was my local pharmacie that told me the local hospital had a drop off area for the sharps,i no longer live there but will continue to drop off there as I willl be returning to that district soon anyway,prob with another full box by that time lol.good luck x
Our local medical centre in Essex took the sharps bin and gave us a huge 5l bin they just told us that we have to fill the details on the label and has to be locked shut before we hand it in👍
If you Google sharps disposal and pharmacy in your town there should be a list of chemists who will take them. Call to check beforehand. Mine took my bin but scowled at me when I asked if I could purchase a new one. They curtly told me I could go to my GP and ask to prescribed a new one. New ones aren’t really the problem as I can buy them from anywhere.
My pharmacy takes them and offers a free replacement.
Your pharmacy will normally empty them and give u back the bin. 🦉
I think you’ll find they won’t empty them as it’s not safe to do so due to the risk of needle stick injury but they may (depending on local policy) accept them for disposal and provide a new sharps bin.
U mayb right, I’ve not tried to empty it recently because I’m shielded. I suspect they will just give me a new one. If not I’ll ask the diabetic association. 🦉
I have a friend whose husband is diabetic. I dispose of the syringes and give her my needles to go into his sharps bin.
My local council picks up - so questions asked.
Hi, I get a sharps container from the pharmacy and return it there when it's full. I am then given a new one. I think it should be the same where you live.
No not necessarily the case. My pharmacy wont take full sharps bins. I have to return them to the GP.
Sorry for assuming that all pharmacies would accept full sharps containers. I'm very thankful that they do in this country. What do they expect you to do with them? It's not a though one could store them in the garage or out building. Try contacting your minister of health. He/she should be able to help you.
No need to apologise.......I think it varies area to area. 😊 The minister of health is really busy dealing with the pandemic so doubt youd get an answer to be honest......lol. .
Try looking up needle exchange in your area. There should be a centre or pharmacy that you can take them to. Its meant for drug addicts on a drug reduction programne but they were happy to take my full sharps bin and give me an empty one in exchange. You have to fill a form in. I used to put B12 in the drug used space!! Pharmacist laughed but was happy to help.i get them on a script now.
That is a very valid question. I use specialized disposal bins which are specifically used for disposing of these medical wastes. These medical wastes are to be disposed of carefully as they can cause harm to the environment and wildlife. My nana used to have certain injections for her stroke and even after the lockdown these injections could not be stopped. I started to rent disposal bins(scarboroughdisposal.com/) for this particular use and as it is not that expensive, it was of great use.
Please do be careful in disposing of these sharps and other medical used equipment for a well foreseeable future.
Disposing of sharps 
Sharps Disposal?
The sharps box disposal mystery solved, at last! Here, at least.
