I’m in the UK (London) and use UGL for my test and a syringe suppiers for my equipment (syringes,swabs and sharps bins) but wondering how other UK citezens dispose of their used sharps?
I’ve tried needle exchanges but they seem to only take ones they’ve dispensed. A few times I’ve taken my sharps boxes to hospital when I have appointments and put into clinical waste bins there and have also taken to local Starbucks and used the clinical waste bins in the toilet (obviously in a sharps box, then wrapped in tissue so its hidden).
Local council wount do it unless medically approved.
I dont mind paying but private companies seem to have minimum amounts to collect (or high charges for smaller amounts).
I did think about asking a tattooist or piercer’s if I can tag along with their collection for a price but any suggestions gratefully received.
Im in the same boat as you, dont think theres any legit way of doing it outside of the ‘system’ unfortunately.
Can you just throw them in the trash?
@hillbillyk
I think its illegal to put into non clinical waste, obviously I could do it easily and pretty safely if needed (bleach sharps, put into a sharps container, wrap container in something to hide bin, then put into communal waste so amongst tons of stuff off to landfill).
But… I do worry at the back of my mind someone finding it by accident and then them worrying about their health. Unlikely but I’ve been in places and found discarded sharps and its not nice.
When I put into a Starbucks toilet clinical waste bin I saw a contractor turn up with a new bin on a trolley and it looked like he just swapped them over without even needing to touch the bag inside. I’m hoping it will be an even stricter hands off protocol when it gets to a depot and put with hospital waste etc for incineration.
For now if no hospital appointments coming up I’ll probably carry on this way (its very infrequently) and sit there feeling like a criminal mastermind as I sip my soya latte…
I get that. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal here, too, but I put them in sharps containers, then just throw out the sharps containers in the trash. My names not on it anywhere, even if someone cares enough to dig through my trash to look for a minimal crime to charge me a small fine haha. But I get it man. Hope you figure something out, and I apologize this didn’t really contribute anything to your dilemma.