How To Safely Dispose Of Your Insulin Syringes?

sharp containers for safely disposal of syringes and needles

First things first: do not throw your insulin syringes away in the trash. This is a huge safety concern for any individual who comes in contact with sharp disposals. The clear plastic cap you place on your syringe after use is not enough to safely dispose of it as they can pop off very easily. The safest way to dispose of your insulin syringes is to place them in a sharps container and drop them off at your local pharmacy, doctor’s office, or appropriate drop off location near you.

Sharps Collectors

Sharps collectors can play a pivotal role in preventing needlestick and sharps injuries. A Sharps Collector is designed and manufactured to meet or exceed guidelines for safe sharps disposal. It’s durable, stable, closable, leak-proof, and puncture-resistant.

The size of the sharps collector depends on your needs, but we find that most people prefer a 1.5qt collector simply because they are more manageable.

BD Sharps Collector

BD Sharps collectors are an excellent choice. They are small, convenient, and you can dispose of your sharps with one-hand. BD is well renowned for creating safe equipment for sharp disposal and is trusted among consumers.

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The 1.5qt BD sharps collector in particular has a safety feature guard to help prevent your hands from entering the bin. It also has a large handle for safe transportation and a bright red bottom and logo that indicates sharps are enclosed.

The Needle Clipper

The BD Safe-Clip needle clipping and storage device helps you to safely and easily remove insulin syringe and pen needles, storing them within the clipper. The BD needle clipper supports different sizes of needles, safely stores and clips the needle, and can hold up to 1500 needles with an approximate 2 year supply.

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When the needle clipper is full, it can be disposed of according to your state or local regulations. More information can be found here.  

To maintain your comfort and safety, avoid reusing insulin syringes and pen needles. Also, never use your BD Safe-Clip needle clipping and storage device to clip someone else’s used needles.

Do Not Recycle

You should never recycle a bottle with sharps in them. When a plastic bottle is recycled, it is often broken down to be reused. If there are sharps in a bin that you recycle, those needles will be re-exposed which is what we don’t want. Please refer to your state waste agency so you can see how to properly dispose of your sharps.

Using the BD Sharps Collector or a Needle Clipper is the safest and easiest way to dispose of your needles. For the safety of trash collectors and disposal workers, it’s user’s responsibility to take caution in disposing of needles properly and with caution. Keep your sharps container out of children. FDA-approved sharps disposal containers are affordable and are available in many functions and sizes.

Proper and safe disposal of your sharps—your insulin pen needles, syringes, and lancets—is always a concern. These items need to be disposed of in such a way that they do not cause harm to other people, pets, or the environment.

Disclaimer. The content, information, and links on this page are intended for informational and educational purposes only, and does NOT constitute any medical professional advice.

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