What do all of you at home dialysis do with all those used sharp/buttonhole needles? Do you throw them away in the trash…well, at least in a hard plastic container. Or do you take them back to clinic? And what type of container do you use to dispose of your needles? Ajax bottle? Clorox bottle, cranberry bottle? Or other bottle? Would you agree to help your clinic to cut down on costs by using a household container instead of using a commercial BioHazard container?
:roll: :oops:
Hi Gus
The HDU (Home Dialysis Unit) provides one of those yellow sharps containers you see all over the place in hospitals. When it’s full, I take it with me to my clinic appointment at the HDU where the nurse exchanges it for a new one. I have 2 of them to tide me over if one getting full doesn’t coinicide with my clinic appointment. Sharps, buttonhole and syringe needles go in it, as do small glass items like empty heparin bottles, and also other things like the little syringes used for EPO, and the vacutainer adapters I use to draw blood.
Pierre
Chronic glomerulonephritis since 1977
In-centre hemodialysis since 2002
Short daily and daily nocturnal hemo since 2005
Conventional Fresenius 2008K (“Baby K”) setup at home with Baxter R/O
Pierre, thanks for sharing that information…anyway, do you think you would dispose of those needles in regular trash pickup. Well at least that all the needeles are in a hard plastic container with cap… with the words inscribed on it “SHARPS” or “DANGER” ??
Found this unique Sharps Disposal by Mail System
Here they want us to dispose of the sharps container through the hospital system. I’m not sure what the legalities are for this kind of waste in terms of regular garbage, but I think it’s classified as regulated medical waste.
Now, if they wanted us to do that with all the other waste, it might present a bit of a problem. That’s a lot of garbage!
We use a small sharps container furnished as one of our dialysis supplies and I send the filled container along with lab specimens with the courier to the hospital lab for their disposal.
Mel
We are given a rather large and ugly sharps bin ( does nothing for the bedroom decor ) which we can return to any hospital close by. Wouldn’t like to put sharps in normal rubbish but all the LOADS of other consumables get double bagged and put in our normal waste bin. I was very environmentaly friendly once…
Hi All,
We are given a LAEGE size trash bin that has a secure top with a slot to get rid of our sharps, etc just like Pierre said.
We take it to the center when ever it is full or I can hardley pick it up!
We are luck we only live about 15 minustes from the center.
Pat
I use empty one gallon plastic water jugs. Once the jug is full of needles I tape the lid on with duct tape and take it down to the dump … er, um transfer station. At the transfer station there is a 55 gallon drum marked sharps with a lid and a cylindrical shoot that is slightly larger than a standard water jug. Dumping needles is free.
I usually have to do a dump run every couple months – when I do I take four or five down at a time.
Water jugs? Arrowhead brand?..jokingly… 
I gathered more information, in the state of California you can dispose of these needles in regular residential curbside trash bin, BUT in puncture proof plastic bottles with a tight lid cap…one example might be a Clorox brand bleach bottle…probably also a good idea would be to lable the bottle with the words “SHARPS” inscribed in red marker pen…
However, they do recommend to drop off at hazardous waste stations they have locally or even mail them there…