Safely Dispose of Used Diabetes Sharps

Insulin syringes, pen needles, and lancets -- known collectively as sharps -- must be disposed of safely to avoid injury and illness and to protect the environment. If your parent doesn't have access to a sharps mail-in, drop-off, pick-up, or exchange program (ask a member of her healthcare team about these options), she must dispose of them in puncture-resistant, unbreakable containers that can be easily and tightly sealed. Each state and local community has its own regulations concerning disposal of sharps, so check with the sanitation or health department in your parent's area.

Never throw loose sharps in the trash or flush them down the toilet. You can remove needles with a needle clipper device or destroy them with an at-home needle-destruction aid; both gadgets are available from pharmacists. Or locate a safe needle disposal program in your parent's community via the Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal.