Used pen needles are small enough that it’s tempting to drop them in the trash. Don’t. They end up injuring the people who handle your garbage, and in some places it’s illegal. The good news is that safe disposal takes almost no effort once you’re set up.
The FDA’s two-step rule
The FDA boils it down to two steps:
- “Place all needles and other sharps in a sharps disposal container immediately after they have been used.”
- “Dispose of used sharps disposal containers according to your community guidelines.”
That’s it. Everything else is details.
What counts as a sharps container
An FDA-cleared sharps container is the best option. They’re sold at pharmacies and online, and they have a fill line marked on the side.
If you don’t have one, the FDA says a heavy-duty household plastic container works, and gives a laundry detergent bottle as the example. Whatever you use, it should be:
- Made of heavy-duty plastic
- Fitted with a tight, puncture-resistant lid that sharps can’t come out of
- Upright and stable
- Leak-resistant
- Labeled to warn that sharps are inside
No soda bottles, milk jugs or coffee cans. Thin plastic gets punctured and metal lids come off.
When it’s full
Stop at about three-quarters full. The FDA says overfilling raises the risk of a needle stick when you close or carry the container. Seal the lid and don’t reuse the container.
Where to take it
The FDA lists these options. What’s available depends on where you live.
- Drop boxes and collection sites at some pharmacies, hospitals, doctors’ offices, health departments, and police or fire stations. Often free or low cost.
- Household hazardous waste sites, the same places that take old paint and batteries.
- Mail-back programs. You buy a container that ships back for disposal when full. Usually there’s a fee.
- Residential special waste pickup in some areas, usually for a fee.
- Syringe exchange programs. The EPA notes these often take used needles for free.
To find what’s near you, SafeNeedleDisposal.org has a state-by-state map and a ZIP code search. You can also call them at 1-800-643-1643. Your pharmacist is another quick source for what’s available locally.
What not to do
Straight from the FDA’s list:
- Don’t throw loose needles in the trash.
- Don’t flush them.
- Don’t put them in recycling. Sharps aren’t recyclable.
- Don’t remove, bend, break or recap needles used by someone else.
The FDA also says not to pull a needle off by hand without a needle clipper, because “the needle could fall, fly off, or get lost and injure someone.” For pen needles, unscrew them with the outer cap on and drop them straight into the container.
Why it matters
This isn’t a hypothetical risk. A 2018 study by two waste-industry groups found 2.7 needlestick injuries per 100 workers each year at recycling sorting facilities, and 3.9 per 100 for the people sorting by hand. They estimated between 781 and 1,484 of these injuries every year in the U.S. Every one of those needles was thrown out by someone who didn’t think it would matter.
Set it up once
Keep a sharps container wherever you use your pen and a small one in your travel case. Unscrew the needle, drop it in, done. Need more needles? See our 31G and 32G pen needles and what the sizes mean.
All PepPens products are sold for research use only.
Sources
- FDA: Best way to get rid of used needles and other sharps
- FDA: Sharps disposal containers
- FDA: Dos and don’ts of proper sharps disposal
- FDA: Be Smart with Sharps pamphlet
- EPA: Safe needle disposal for households
- EPA: Safe options for home needle disposal (PDF)
- SafeNeedleDisposal.org
- SWANA/EREF needlestick injury study, 2018
