# sharps bins



## fruitloaf (Dec 17, 2010)

why is it that pharmacies are unable to provide sharps bins bigger than 1 litre? I specifically asked my GP to prescribe a 4.5 litre sharps bin as I thought this would be cheaper and easier than using so many 1 litre bins that I fill really quickly. I took my prescription into boots and they say that are unable to order a 4.5L sharps bin so instead have given me 4 1 litre bins


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## Northerner (Dec 17, 2010)

I get mine from the council environmental waste people and they give me a 5L bin. Having said that, it has an orange lid and I think they are supposed to be yellow lids for our kind of sharps (the lid colours represent different 'levels' of toxicity I believe). What colour are your lids?


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## Steff (Dec 17, 2010)

Its madness fruit im in the same situation but im guessing as your a type 1 u use more needles etc then me, i know others in here have massive ones, i know you should not have to but you can shop online and buy your own, i particularly like the purple one lol..


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## Robster65 (Dec 17, 2010)

I've only ever had 1 litre bins. Mine last for ages if I just put in the pen needle itself and throw the plastic cap in the normal rubbish. 

I have 2 or 3 on the go at a time and replace them en masse every so often. I find they are not too big to be too obtrusive.

Rob


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## Robster65 (Dec 17, 2010)

Ps. I get through 5 needles a day. 

Rob


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## Northerner (Dec 17, 2010)

I've used 2 5L bins since diagnosis, 2.5 years ago


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## RachelT (Dec 17, 2010)

Was reading about sharps bins and colours today and it clealry failed to sink in..I've totally forgotten. I see to remember that orange lids were what we put drugs and sharps in in my old hospital, as long as they arn't cytotoxic. Cytotoxic's purple...but now we just used purple bins and yellow bins. We don't supply bins, so i can't tell you why...excpet i guess 4l bins take up a lot of space and they don't have the room to spare i guess.


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## shiv (Dec 17, 2010)

Just out of interest, the pharmacy at the hospital I work in told me they don't order certain things (I think it was some sort of mouthwash I was sent to get) because they are so bulky and they can't store them properly.

I use 11 litre bins that my mum 'procures' for me from her ward - now I work on a ward I'm going to ask if I can pinch one from our store room, and dispose of mine in our sharps disposal room.


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## tracey w (Dec 17, 2010)

Northerner said:


> I get mine from the council environmental waste people and they give me a 5L bin. Having said that, it has an orange lid and I think they are supposed to be yellow lids for our kind of sharps (the lid colours represent different 'levels' of toxicity I believe). What colour are your lids?



I know the colour represents what they are used for, I have yellow. It says on it, sharps including medicinal residues. Not sure what the orange ones are for, but i was always prescribed orange. But the pharmacies always struggled to obtain those and i usually had to wait for ages. so i got gp to change to yellow and dont have problems getting them.

I have 1 litre bins, i like the size and fits nicely on a shelf in my study


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## ukjohn (Dec 18, 2010)

My local council insist that my empty insulin cartridges must be put in my sharps bin with used needles and they will collect on request. In view of this I complained to my GP that the 1 litre bin is not big enough. He has shown me a list issued by the PCT containing items that he can prescribe, the only sharps bin on there is a 1 litre, so he cannot prescribe a 5 litre. His words to me were, if the PCT can't use common sense then lets join them, he gave me a repeat prescription for 10 x 1litre sharps bin, so every time I get my repeat I get 10 bins  

Anybody short of a bin., you know where I am..


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## Ellie Jones (Dec 18, 2010)

tracey w said:


> I know the colour represents what they are used for, I have yellow. It says on it, sharps including medicinal residues. Not sure what the orange ones are for, but i was always prescribed orange. But the pharmacies always struggled to obtain those and i usually had to wait for ages. so i got gp to change to yellow and dont have problems getting them.
> 
> I have 1 litre bins, i like the size and fits nicely on a shelf in my study



The lids colours depict what size and type opening there is to put your sharps through..  

I know some councils/area's use a different sharp coloured box dependant to who it's being given too, with normal medical conditions getting the yellow, and drug addicts who's using a needle exchange system being given grey!

Cytotoxic drugs have to be returned to the hospital can't be put in a sharps bin..  residental/nursing homes will have a hospital number to phone for collection

Controlled drugs, have to be disposed of in a special container that has liquid that dissolves the drug, then sent back to the pharmcy

Other none used drugs, just need to be suitable stored in marked container returned to the pharmcy..

They did used to do a special container for medication but now as above


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## Northerner (Dec 18, 2010)

Well, the council failed to pick up my sharps bin on the 6th December, now it's looking like they won't pick it up on the 20th thanks to this snow!


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## tracey w (Dec 18, 2010)

Ellie Jones said:


> The lids colours depict what size and type opening there is to put your sharps through..
> 
> I know some councils/area's use a different sharp coloured box dependant to who it's being given too, with normal medical conditions getting the yellow, and drug addicts who's using a needle exchange system being given grey!
> 
> ...



thanks Ellie thats very informative.

But i dont understand why i had the 1 litre orange coloured with lids same size as the 1 litre yellow. You have me intrigued now. Or is it they are discontinued hence why pharmacies could never get hold of them and kept asking if it was ok to have a yellow one?


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## Northerner (Dec 18, 2010)

tracey w said:


> thanks Ellie thats very informative.
> 
> But i dont understand why i had the 1 litre orange coloured with lids same size as the 1 litre yellow. You have me intrigued now. Or is it they are discontinued hence why pharmacies could never get hold of them and kept asking if it was ok to have a yellow one?



When I left hospital they gave me a yellow-lidded one but the council have always given me orange-lidded ones. I think yellow is appropriate for us so I don't know why they would ask if it's OK


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## Steff (Dec 18, 2010)

well i have learnt something new i never realised the lods represented anything lol


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## tracey w (Dec 18, 2010)

Me neither Steffie, it got to the point when i handed in my script, i would say "yellow is fine" before they could ask.


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## Northerner (Dec 18, 2010)

OK, I just looked it up and found out the following:

Yellow - Sharps excluding those contaminated with cyto waste

Orange Bins - Sharps NOT contaminated with ANY medicinal products

So we should be using yellow, really.


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## Steff (Dec 18, 2010)

Northerner said:


> So we should be using yellow, really.


Excellent im part of the yellow army phew


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## tracey w (Dec 18, 2010)

Well done Northe, so my gp was at fault, again!


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## Donald (Dec 18, 2010)

not sure if link adds any more Info

http://www.phshealthcarewaste.co.uk/Training/Healthcare-Guidance/Colour-Coding.aspx

How long would these two below last you

a 22 litre yellow lid 
http://www.intermedicaldirect.com/p...UARD%AE+Yellow+22+litre+sharps+bin/2185281468

a 22 Litre orange lid
http://www.intermedicaldirect.com/p...UARD%AE+orange+22+litre+sharps+bin/2287881763


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## Robster65 (Dec 20, 2010)

Have just received a sharps bin with a purple lid. Contaminated sharps only.

Rob


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## PhilT (Dec 20, 2010)

I normally get yellow bins, but my current one is yellow with a purple lid!


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## Monica (Dec 20, 2010)

I get the yellow lidded 1tlr bins. I complained that Carol usually filled one within 2 weeks and could I not get a bigger one. I got the same answer as JohnUK. But my doc only doubled the prescription. I now get 2 every time, which is good enough. Carol only ever used to use one bin, but now she has another one in her bedroom as she does her Levemir there.

My friend's daughter and hubby have purple lids and they don't live far from us.


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## grahams mum (Dec 20, 2010)

i get 3 at the time so i am always ready when the school one is full up


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## Monica (Dec 21, 2010)

grahams mum said:


> i get 3 at the time so i am always ready when the school one is full up



Carol's school don't have one from us, Carol brings her needles home.


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## grandma (Dec 21, 2010)

I get A 7 LT BIN from the Doctors just had in back in and get another one it yellow


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## grahams mum (Dec 21, 2010)

Monica said:


> Carol's school don't have one from us, Carol brings her needles home.



i know she is older then graham but be careful in case some parents or pupils complaints


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## Northerner (Dec 21, 2010)

Monica said:


> Carol's school don't have one from us, Carol brings her needles home.



Does she use a BD clipper? They're available on prescription.

http://www.bd.com/uk/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=14153&id=31358


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## grahams mum (Dec 21, 2010)

Monica said:


> Carol's school don't have one from us, Carol brings her needles home.



another question is she keeping all the used strip and lancets to take home ?graham sometimes test 10 times at school so it would not be practicle or hygienic graham use unistick at school to prick his finger so they can be use only ones(the one that the hospital use)


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## Monica (Dec 21, 2010)

Northerner said:


> Does she use a BD clipper? They're available on prescription.
> 
> http://www.bd.com/uk/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=14153&id=31358



No, she doesn't, because she has special needles that lock in after one use and you can't prick yourself with them anymore. Carol doesn't like seeing the needle, so she got the Autocover ones, that work a bit like a retractable fake knife. The needles have a clear tube surrounding it. When you push down, the tube retracts. When you're finished, the tube will cover the needle again, rendering the needle useless. She uses the Novo insulin case and the needles stay in there.(except when in use )


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## Monica (Dec 21, 2010)

grahams mum said:


> another question is she keeping all the used strip and lancets to take home ?graham sometimes test 10 times at school so it would not be practicle or hygienic graham use unistick at school to prick his finger so they can be use only ones(the one that the hospital use)



I wish Carol did test at school, but she outright refuses to do so. If she does test, then she'll leave the lancet in the pricker and the strip in the meter case. As she's almost 14 (27 december), nobody at school will supervise her and make sure she tests or anything. And I am just a nag!!!


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## Northerner (Dec 21, 2010)

Ah! That's interesting Monica


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## grahams mum (Dec 21, 2010)

i hope she test herself if she feels low ,i can only imagine in which state you are when she is at school


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## Monica (Dec 22, 2010)

grahams mum said:


> i hope she test herself if she feels low ,i can only imagine in which state you are when she is at school



You'll be shaking your head Daniela, but NO, she doesn't, she just treats it. I'm at my wits end with her, but if the consultant is happy for her not to test, then I can't sway her.


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