Be sure to follow the steps above and if you have any questions or concerns speak to your doctor or your local health department.Īll Points Medical Waste is a family-owned and operated company. When it comes to treating your diabetes, it’s critical that you consider how you dispose of all of your needles, syringes, test strips and any other supplies. Many cities have sites for hazardous waste, but if not, speak to your doctor.
If you don’t have a medical waste disposal company close by, get in touch with your local health department to find out the location of drop off sites. Once your container has reached three-quarters full, make sure the lid is on correctly and seal it using duct tape. If you are trying to stuff needles into a container that’s too full, you can easily end up sticking yourself. When the container is three-quarters full, it’s time to stop using it and seal it up. Be aware of how many of these items you’ve placed inside. Make sure you don’t allow your waste container to fill up to the point where sharps, lancets or test strips are overflowing or sticking out of the top. You should also clearly mark the container to ensure that no one opens it or sticks their hands inside. The key is that your insulin needles cannot poke a hole or stick out of whatever waste container you choose to use. If this is not possible then it’s important to find a puncture proof container, such as an old plastic bottle or a jar with a tight fitting lid. You may be able to purchase one from your pharmacy or a local medical waste disposal company. Your best bet when disposing of needles and syringes is to use a FDA approved sharps container. Caps can easily fall off, endangering anyone who comes in contact with the receptacle. In addition, never place sharps into your recycling bins, even if they have caps. Especially when being pricked or exposed to blood. All of these items pose a potential risk to anyone who accidentally comes in contact with it. Whether you’re living alone or with others, never throw your insulin needles, syringes, test strips or other materials into the regular trash. Keep out of regular trash and recycling bins Because of this, it’s critical to dispose of them properly to reduce risk of injury to yourself and others. What this means is that you will likely end up using several needles per day.
In addition, it can result in an infection which could endanger your health. This can result in a painful injection the next time it’s used. After one use the needle can become dull. But most manufacturers and medical professionals will caution against it. One time use results in many needles per dayīecause diabetic supplies can be costly, it is often tempting to reuse your diabetic needles and syringes. If you or a loved one injects insulin to maintain control of blood sugar, it’s key that you follow specific rules and federal and state regulations for disposing of needles, test strips and lancets used to collect blood samples. Even more startling is the fact that each year more than 1.5 million people are diagnosed with the disease. In 2015, more than 30 million Americans had diabetes, that’s nearly 10 percent of the population. This condition requires the patient to inject themselves with insulin and check their blood sugar levels, two to four times a day. Diabetes has become more and more common in the United States.