Garbage and recycling

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Wondering if anyone has ever been denied getting rid of a sharps container. I know some of you use insulin/test blood sugar.
Was just thinking of that the other day, once when I was travelling I left my sharps container with my parents to get rid of (I was flying, they were driving and were sticking around longer than me). My mom was really concerned that she would have problems. I know not all pharmacies do, but I personally haven't come across one that doesn't. Curious if this is how it tends to be across Canada.
 
I once vacuumed one up with the central vac. I happened to be vacuuming, disturbed one, it ran, I reacted.
poor thing had a roller coaster ride with a sudden ending.

I have, unfortunately, done worse. Cutting my lawn with a rotary mower. Ran into a toad. Quite messy.
 
Wondering if anyone has ever been denied getting rid of a sharps container. I know some of you use insulin/test blood sugar.
Was just thinking of that the other day, once when I was travelling I left my sharps container with my parents to get rid of (I was flying, they were driving and were sticking around longer than me). My mom was really concerned that she would have problems. I know not all pharmacies do, but I personally haven't come across one that doesn't. Curious if this is how it tends to be across Canada.
I take them to the hazardous waste depot. They are happy to accept insulin needles in coffee cans with lids. I am not sure what pharmacies accept. It might be only those official yellow sharps containers.
 
I take them to the hazardous waste depot. They are happy to accept insulin needles in coffee cans with lids. I am not sure what pharmacies accept. It might be only those official yellow sharps containers.
I only use official sharps containers. I don't think an airline would accept anything else. In training I was taught that was what I was to use as well.
 
I only use official sharps containers. I don't think an airline would accept anything else. In training I was taught that was what I was to use as well.
I must be missing something here . . . why do you need sharps containers on a plane? If flying, I imagine I would just keep my used lancets and needles to dispose of later.

Where do you get those yellow sharps containers? Do you purchase them?
 
I must be missing something here . . . why do you need sharps containers on a plane? If flying, I imagine I would just keep my used lancets and needles to dispose of later.

Where do you get those yellow sharps containers? Do you purchase them?
I usually get them with my supplies. I get rather large ones. I have got smaller ones from pharmacies before, most just give them out for free.
If I need to inject on the plane I need a safe place to dispose the needle. Technically I was supposed to be treating at the airport too, before a flight. I'm not sure if that's still true for SC or not. I always just treated as late as possible at home/where I was staying instead of the airport. If there was a major flight delay though I would have to do it at the airport.
 
I usually get them with my supplies. I get rather large ones. I have got smaller ones from pharmacies before, most just give them out for free.
If I need to inject on the plane I need a safe place to dispose the needle. Technically I was supposed to be treating at the airport too, before a flight. I'm not sure if that's still true for SC or not. I always just treated as late as possible at home/where I was staying instead of the airport. If there was a major flight delay though I would have to do it at the airport.
What kind of volume of used sharps do you produce? A few insulin needles and lancets would be no big deal for me to store in my purse on a flight.
 
What kind of volume of used sharps do you produce? A few insulin needles and lancets would be no big deal for me to store in my purse on a flight.
The containers I mostly use are currently 11.5 L.

I use 3mL syringes, but because the bottles are blood products they go in there too. I used to have 20mL syringes, but am not using those anymore.

I'm confused what you do with used needles if you don't have a container nearby. You just put an open needle into your purse? Doesn't that damage things? I have always been told they go straight into a sharps container.
 
The containers I mostly use are currently 11.5 L.

I use 3mL syringes, but because the bottles are blood products they go in there too. I used to have 20mL syringes, but am not using those anymore.

I'm confused what you do with used needles if you don't have a container nearby. You just put an open needle into your purse? Doesn't that damage things? I have always been told they go straight into a sharps container.
I recap them and stick them in a pocket of my purse & dispose of them when I get home.

In hospitals nurses no longer recap needles but there is no danger from contamination when it is your own needle.
 
I never use alcohol swabs by the way. I was taught to use them but I have never been infected from a lancet or needle in over two decades. Some research shows that it is safer not to use alcohol swabs.
 
I recap them and stick them in a pocket of my purse & dispose of them when I get home.

In hospitals nurses no longer recap needles but there is no danger of contamination when it is your own needle.
I have always been taught to never recap a needle. Both in the lab and in my training. Also, not all of my needles come with caps, the butterfly ones have a small flexible plastic thing that is open on both ends, it's the sterile packaging that really keeps them covered. Some of the caps are also very small. The only one I could see where it would be reasonable to do so is with firazyr, there's a base on the opening so it's a bit wider, kind of like a mini funnel. With the straight needles that I get shipped the cap is very small, the opening is just as wide as the section halfway down the needle and at the needle tip.
 
I never use alcohol swabs by the way. I was taught to use them but I have never been infected from a lancet or needle in over two decades. Some research shows that it is safer not to use alcohol swabs.
Do you know the reasoning?
I assume it's route dependent (SC IM and IV might all be different) and possibly gauge dependent too? Unless it's about using something instead of alcohol.
 
Yeah, I know not recapping is the best practice for health care professionals but it is different when it is your own needle.

Insulin needles are very easy to recap.

Used lancets are supposed to be ejected into the little plastic thingy that comes off the point but it is very tricky to do this & I can't imagine anyone with decreased fine motor skills being able to manage it.

I just eject them right into my sharps container (coffee can).
 
Do you know the reasoning?
I assume it's route dependent (SC IM and IV might all be different) and possibly gauge dependent too? Unless it's about using something instead of alcohol.
No, I am not sure of the reasoning. I think it had to do with killing off the healthy bacteria on the skin & no alternatives were suggested.

It sounds like you are dealing with something more complicated than insulin needles.
 
Since this is the garbage & recycling thread, I will add that the newest insulin delivery systems create more trash.
 
No, I am not sure of the reasoning. I think it had to do with killing off the healthy bacteria on the skin & no alternatives were suggested.

It sounds like you are dealing with something more complicated than insulin needles.
If you come across it again, send it my way please!

And you can do so electronically so no extra trash ;)
 
When composting took off in Toronto, 90’s I am guessing ,rats and raccoons proliferated. There was just so much extra food around and easy to get

Racoons are everywhere, skunks too if you are out at the right time. Rats as well, but no Jae you don’t see them around because they like to hide

Any sources please Lastpointe to back up this information. I'm not saying that there are not raccoons, skunks and rats in Toronto - because there are (I've also seen the odd rabbit, fox and possum). I'm just not believing that the city is "overrun" by them.
 
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