Disposing Sharps

[momandwifeoftype1s]

How do you dispose of your sharps? I called our hospital and Walgreens to see if I could drop off our container of sharps, and they don't take them here in Tennessee. They said to just tape the lid of the Tide bottle shut and throw them out in the garbage. This seems so strange to me. In Wisconsin, we had a Haz Mat sticker and brought the Tide container (what we used to collect sharps) to the hospital. They would take our sharps and give us a new sticker. It seems so unsafe to just throw the used needles and lancets in the garbage. What do you to where you live? Any ideas on how to dispose of them more safely?

[hrtmom3]

Our town allows them to be put in a clear soda pop bottle or a plastic milk container. They also ask that we mark them "sharpies" and toss them in the regular trash. Maybe you can check with your city/town on what policies they have. We are pumping now, so no more sharpies here:D

[CJ's Mom]

I had the same concern about sharps. Talked to our health department and local pharmacies. They all advised to dispose of them in a tide bottle. Some counties in IN have recycling programs for sharps but unfortunately ours doesn't.

[BCot]

They tell us that here in Oklahoma we have to have them totally incased in something like cement or plaster of paris before they can go into the trash. I still haven't figured out how to do that.

[MReinhardt]

We take our to the endo's office, hospital or even the regular dr.

Back in Illinois, I called the EPA to find out what to do with them, in the county that I lived in, they said to put them a heavy plastic container, and put in trash. Hum, didnt like that idea.

[Gaia]

I called the pharmacies while Joey was still in the hospital. None of them around here carried sharps containers but could order them. So then I asked the nurses how I would dispose of the container when full. I was told I could mail it in somewhere for a fee. ( not covered by insurance by the way). So one of the nurses called down to the Infectious Medicine Department and they told me that I could put them in a metal coffee can or thick plastic container like a detergent bottle or Maxwell Coffee Jug. The coffee jug is actually what I use. We are still on our first one and its just now getting full. I was told that once it was full, to seal it really well w/ a strong tape like duct tape, mark it 'sharps' and put it in w/ the recycle trash. Since we buy this brand of coffee, Ill always have 1 handy!

:) Kris

[hawkeyegirl]

Here's a link to a website that has sharps disposal regulations for each state:

http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?cat=2&id=3284

[Emma'sDad]

We go to the costco pharmacy. He gives us all the containers we need, so we have 2 red ones that we keep in the upstairs bathroom and one in the dining room where we usually give Emma's needles. We also have 2 smaller yellow ones (about thermos size). We keep one in the washroom at Emma's school (washroom for kindergarten is in the classroom, dunno what we are going to do next year). and the other we keep at DML's house. My father is type1 so when we go visit there, we just use his.

[wendyc]

I know in the Boston area all you do is tape the top really tight and just toss. So, it's not unusual.

We have a sharps return day at the local hospital. They have huge bins inside the revolving door and as you're walking by, you just toss, never even breaking stride:D

[jendean]

We dont have a lot of sharps. I should be terribly embarassed, to say this, but I will be honest. Our only sharps are insertion cannulas, and they have a safety feature, they fold closed... since we started pumping, I have just tossed it all into the garbage.
They are capped, and safe.
At work I toss it all into the sharps, anything with blood on it that I can squash into that container goes in, even the self capping ones syringes and all.

YOu can usually take sharps containers to your local hospital, dr. office.
They should all dispose of them as a courtesy.

[shirley83006]

we get our sharp containers from the fire department. and when full, we return them and they give us new ones.

[Sandy's mom]

A few years ago our local police called. They had a warrant for my dh to be arrested. Evidently one of the people sentenced to do community service at the local dump, somehow got ahold of our trash and cut herself on one of his syringes. He had placed them in the coffee can (when they used to be tin cans), taped it, I guess not so good.

Anyway, they went thru our trash further, found something with his name and address, found him. He had to hire a lwayer, sit in front of a judge. She was suing him for damages $ for dr, losing work, etc. The judge ended up dimissing it. Later told dh his wife uses a pump!

Ever since, we use a Tide container, tape it good, use a black marker to write Sharp, Do Not Recycle and take it to a public dumpster. Also, we've since bought a shredder!;)

[momandwifeoftype1s]

Here's a link to a website that has sharps disposal regulations for each state:

http://www.bddiabetes.com/us/main.aspx?cat=2&id=3284

Perfect! That's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

[Seans Mom]

I'm in TN also and looked up the regulations. I place the syringes in an empty laundry detergent bottle, wrap the lid w/ duct tape, mark w/ "household sharps" in permanent marker and toss w/ the rest of garbage.

[Mom2rh]

We use a heavy duty plastic bottle...like Tide or Bleach...tape it closed and write "Do Not Recycle" on it.

[momandwifeoftype1s]

A few years ago our local police called. They had a warrant for my dh to be arrested. Evidently one of the people sentenced to do community service at the local dump, somehow got ahold of our trash and cut herself on one of his syringes. He had placed them in the coffee can (when they used to be tin cans), taped it, I guess not so good.

Anyway, they went thru our trash further, found something with his name and address, found him. He had to hire a lwayer, sit in front of a judge. She was suing him for damages $ for dr, losing work, etc. The judge ended up dimissing it. Later told dh his wife uses a pump!

Ever since, we use a Tide container, tape it good, use a black marker to write Sharp, Do Not Recycle and take it to a public dumpster. Also, we've since bought a shredder!;)

That's why I wanted to find out the official dumping regulations for TN. I don't want anyone to get hurt, but I also don't want to be held liable for injuries from all the sharps.

Amy

[Pauji5]

I buy the sharps containers at Target and our ped's office takes them for us when they are full.