ask your pharmacist

How should I dispose of syringes, needles, lancets, and other ''sharps?''

Never throw any sharp directly into the trash. Every community has its own way of handling sharps. Some have special laws and rules for their disposal. To learn about the sharps disposal program in your community, call your local health department or solid waste utility.

You should use a special container when disposing of sharps. It should be made of puncture-proof plastic and specially designed to hold used needles and syringes. Once the container is full, you should take it to a local hospital, doctor's office, pharmacy, or fire station, or health department clinic for proper disposal. Never throw the container in the garbage.

Rules for safely using a sharps container: Don't cut or break needles. If you must break needles, use a device called "safe-clips" to safely do so. Don't recap needles. Drop used lancets and syringes with the needle pointing downward into the container. Keep sharps containers out of reach of children and pets.

Don't fill the container more than three-quarters full. When the container's three-quarters full, tightly seal the lid with heavy tape. Don't put sharps containers into plastic recycling bins.

Sources:
American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes. American Diabetes Association, 1997.
Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1998.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Disposal of Medical Sharps." http://www.epa.gov/. Last accessed 12/20/2006.

This answer prepared 10/10/2000.
This information updated 12/20/2006.