Disposal of auto-injector pens

[Not Heidi]

Do you use auto-injector pens for administering meds to yourself? Without revealing what kind of medicine you use, can you tell me, please, how you dispose of your auto-pens? I can't find a pharmacy that will take them (which is a big surprise; I thought all pharmacies disposed of sharps).

One pharmacist offered me a small red box. When I explained why that wouldn't work, he didn't know what I was talking abut. I'm glad this was not my pharmacy.

Cross-posted to the Lounge.

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. My pens have the needles separate

The needles go in a sharps container, the empty pens go in the trash, as there is no biohazard involved.

[Morbius]

3. One of things my research revealed is...

... these pens are 77% plastic and that is not the recyclable variety of plastic. More than one big pharma company says toss the pen in the sharps container. People must sort through the sharps container somehow; I'd guess they have some way to deal with the pens.

[Morbius]

2. To be honest, we've been throwing them away.

And I feel rotten about it, as I no doubt should.

Your post made me research it, and it turns out you should dispose of your injector pen in a sharps container. Our village (Schaumburg IL) accepts full sharps containers at a special location; most cities and larger villages do.

I'm glad you posted the question; henceforth, we'll dispose of my wife's insulin pens properly.

[KentuckyWoman]

4. Trash

The pharmacies in my local area don't accept either. As per the direction from our local pharmacy, and confirmed by the county health department, and the local trash company - the best option is to dispose either in a medical grade sharps container or something like an empty laundry liquid bottle. Tape the screw top lid down and put SHARPS on all sides.

I have no idea what Rumpke does with them, but that was the only even minimally safe option I could find in my area at the time.

Note to add... my husband's insulin pens accepted a needle on the end that could be screwed on or off and disposed. Only the needle needed special care, not the empty pen.

[tanyev]

5. My husband buys Sharps containers on Amazon.

When it's full, our city allows it to go in regular trash. This is from my city's website:

Syringes and Needles
Place syringes and needles in a "Sharps" or rigid plastic container with a screw on lid (like laundry detergent).
Mark outside container with "needles or sharps"
Tape or secure lid if possible
Place in trash cart for weekly collections and disposal.

[unblock]

6. the town we just moved from had a twice a year hazmat disposal day

bring it all, sharps, paint, old gas cans, car batteries, just about anything. they sort it all and dispose of it as appropriate, at least i hope.

they made it easy, really just a drive-thru, you don't even get out of your car!

hope my new town has that too....

[TommyT139]

7. Best practice is a sharps container

You can buy a big red box - bigger than the one the pharmacist gave you - with a flip top more like a mailbox that the pen goes in. Many towns and cities have drop off days, as mentioned above, or you can call the health department and ask where they have a drop off.

[jmowreader]

8. Quick note if it's an EpiPen or the generic equivalent

Before you discard one of those in your sharps container, put the needle end against something hard (the drain on the kitchen sink will work) in such a way that the needle will be hanging out in free air, and press to fire the pen. Those pens have spring-loaded needles; if you don't fire the pen before discarding it you're just asking for an unsuspecting person to get jabbed with the needle then pumped full of epinephrine.