Needle Bins

Hi everyone,

A few months ago, a friend who has diabetes told me that soon needle bins (like those used in surgeries and hospitals) would be available for all diabetics who inject to get rid of used needles and finger prickers more safely. You would then return them to clinic and they would dispose safely. Has anyone else heard anything? I have asked at clinic but to no avail.

The advice I was given when I was first diagnosed was to clip all needles and put into a container with a lid, tape up & write 'sharps' on the side and dispose of into the bin!

I've only had one bin so far (which I need to go hand in now funnily enough!) and the only reason I started having them was because my DAFNE nurse wrote to my GP and the bins have been added to my prescription list. The needle clipper was also added.

So, from this, my only suggestion would be to contact your DAFNE person and they should be okay to send a letter to your GP. My DAFNE nurse did it for everyone on my group.

Take care Jen.

I've always had a Sharps Bin on my prescription since diagnosis in 2003.
I take the full one to the Pharmacy who then dispose of it.

I would just ask your GP to add it to your prescription.

Thanks for your replies. I have just this minute sent an email off to my Dafne nurse asking if she can do that for me! Fingers crossed.

I took my first sharps bin to do an exchange recently and I've learnt that I'm supposed to take them to my surgery/doctors and not the pharmacy, so considering ChrisS takes it to their pharmacy, I'd say be prepared to go to either on your first trip to get do a bins exchange.

From that experience, I'm a bit annoyed that the first pharmacy told me to visit another pharmacy and then when I visited the pharmacy the first pharmacy suggested, they told me to go back to my surgery/doctors instead. It does seem some places just don't know what's going on hense the mess around. :/

Oh well, thankfully the surgery/doctors was more than happy to take it off me and give me another one. That made it feel a bit better lol.

JWo, that does sound very annoying!! I will bear that in mind when I take mine back!

I ended up having to make an appointment at the surgery to see a doctor & ask if I could get a sharps bin on prescription. Seems a little bit of a waste of an appointment time but....., although my pharmacy had to order it so I haven't actually got it yet!

My experience talking to others is that local arrangements vary. Availability on prescription and return to a GP practice or pharmacy is not uncommon.

Ultimately, I think the local council has legal responsibility for disposal of hazardous household (including medical) waste. In my own area it is the council that collects filled sharps bins and leaves a new bin in its place.

I've always had my own sharps bin, since my diagnosis in 1991. Unfortunately my local council has recently changed its policy on how I dispose of full ones, so I now can't take them to my doctors surgery, but instead have to ring up a private contractor who will deliver a new one (and take away the old one) within 3 weeks! Luckly, the system at my university is better organised and I can just take them into my surgery and get a new one. Its worth asking about a prescription for one as its much less hassle than trying to explain why you need one to a pharmasist who won't believe you're diabetic!

I've never had one! I use a needle clipper, or put the cap back on the pen needles and fill up a can and seal it.

Hi, I'm new here.
This is what we do in Maidstone, kent.
Sharps bins are now prescribed under the new name of 'sharpsguard'.
We register with our council, are given a telephone number to call for collections and a yellow bin bag to fill with full sharpsguards.
Every so often I ring and am given a date for collection of the bin bag from my front door.
May I suggest you do not ask to have sharpsguards until you have found out how to dispose of them. You could very soon be knee deep in them!