For all those who are diabetic and have to use insulin syringes, it is very important that they dispose of the used syringes with proper care. Depending on the levels of the blood sugar, doctors will prescribe the patient to either use an insulin injection once a day or more than once.
It is advised that patients who use insulin syringes should buy a sharps container which is usually available at pharmaceutical stores or a household hazardous waste center. If a sharps container isn’t available, users can use any old container with a cover that is puncture resistant. After using the syringe users must transfer them to the container and seal it up. Plastic containers should be sealed up firmly with tape. On the other hand, metal containers should be covered with duct tape so that the needles don’t stick out.
Sharp disposal containers should be kept out of reach of all children as well as pets as it can cause serious injuries to them. It is important to note that a sharps container should never be overfilled as it would lead to a risk of needlestick injuries. Sharps containers should be disposed of once ¾ of it is filled.
Once the containers are properly sealed the user of the syringes must call their health department to find out the best site to drop- off the needle container. Usually, each city has their own household hazard waste located at different areas. The doctor’s clinic or the pharmaceutical stores can dispose of the sharps containers at times as well.
Moreover, never dispose of the containers in a trash can or a recycling bin as it can be accessible to other people and can cause serious damage. Users of insulin syringes should also remember not to flush the syringes down the toilet as they could cause serious harm to garbage and sewage cleaners.
Other methods to dispose of them include mail-back programs. Users would have to dispose of the sharps containers at a certain location for a fee. The fee would differ depending on the size of the sharps container. Mail-back programs at times have certain requirements regarding labeling the containers before dropping them off at the location.
In addition, the community you live in may provide waste pickup services that have trained waste handlers to collect the sharps disposal containers directly from your house. This service usually charges a fee that may vary and certain requirements regarding the containers are to be followed before the waste handlers collect the containers.
It is important to dispose of these containers properly as they could cause serious health problems. Some of the very common infections that usually spread due to used needles are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). No matter where you are it is vital to dispose of the insulin syringes properly after it is used.
In the event that everybody with diabetes took after safe practices for sharps disposal, fewer individuals would get hurt.
