I've got a nearly full Sharps container.

What the heck do I do with it??

Do I toss it in the trash after sealing it?

Do doctor's offices take the containers?

Decorate it with stickers and use it as a decoration in the house?


I'm going to call and ask for another new Sharps container, the one they sent me to replace the one I have, is ginormous and I have nowhere to put it where it's not going to be a royal pain. Plus, the opening in the top looks like it'll allow needles to fall out if it tips over.

These are the things I start thinking about when it's 3am and I've just taken my shot (Owwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! I think a killer bee just stung me!) and I already know I'm going to be an insomniac tonight.


I wonder if Baclofen works as a sleep aid?

check with your local munnicipa coucil about what you are required to do with full sharps containers as it varies a great deal from one to the other- where i live i have to take them into the local public health authority for them to be desposed as medical waste but i believe some areas say that when they are correctly sealed they can be put in the trash- it pays to get it right as here there is a significant fine for incorrect disposal.

I agree with Kebsa - call whoever handles the trash in your city/county and they will tell you what to do with it. Another option is to ask your doctor(s) if they will take it off your hands (they contract with a copany to dispose of their biological waste products, including sharps).

I've read many threads about this very question on another board, and it seems like the answer varies alot from one community to the next.

In my community, it seems that the only legal option is to take it to the local county health department for disposal. They charge a small fee ($5). No one else here will take them (pharmacies, physician's offices, etc.); they all referred me to the health dept.

In other communities, some of those other medical people will do it for you. An MSPathways nurse from a larger city just 30 miles away told me to use a coffee can or an empty bleach bottle and tape it up an throw it in the trash.

That wouldn't be legal here, and I wouldn't feel right about putting sanitation workers at risk of getting a needle stick. I know that they wouldn't contract anything from one of my needles, but there's no sense in them worrying about where that needle might have come from.

Jane's suggestions about who to call are both appropriate ways to find out what the requirements are in your community.

~ Faith

I use the BD safe clip and I love it no getting rid of sharps containers. After I clip off the needle,I put the needle cap back on the syringe and just throw away in the regular trash.

This is, by far, the best way to go! I used one for years, it's small, efficient and worry-free. One lasts for a very long time and can be disposed of as-is once full.

Another huge advantage to me is that when traveling, there is no concern about what to do with the needles. It's the best thing going!