How To Render a Needle Non-Infectious for Disposal in Trash
Individuals who need to take care of themselves in their home using needles for a variety of treatments, ranging from diabetes to keeping HIV under control, often find themselves looking for ways to safely dispose of their needles in the trash. In order to render a needle non-infectious for disposal in the trash, you'll first need to disinfect the needle and then you'll need to make sure that you dispose of it in a safe manner.
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Things You'll Need
- Sturdy plastic container
- Disposable rubber gloves
- Needle clippers (or toenail clippers)
- Bleach or disinfectant solution
- Large vessel
- Duct tape
Instructions
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1
Put on disposable rubber gloves.
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2
Place the needle in a vessel which contains a solution of either undiluted bleach or a germicidal disinfectant, following the dilution directions carefully.
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3
Soak the needle for a period of at least 15 minutes if you are using the bleach. Follow the soaking directions if you are using a germicidal disinfectant.
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4
Remove the needle from the solution. Do not rinse off.
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5
Using the needle clippers (or the toenail clippers), clip the end of the needle.
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6
Place both needle and syringe in the plastic container.
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7
Remove the rubber gloves and place them in the container.
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8
Seal the lid with duct tape.
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9
Firmly affix a label to the container. List the contents of the container and place a warning on the container.
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Tips & Warnings
An empty, rinsed out laundry detergent bottle works well for the disposal container.
Make sure that you thoroughly rinse out the laundry detergent bottle. Otherwise, if you add a needle soaked in disinfectant to it, you might get an unpleasant chemical reaction.
References
- Photo Credit needle image by Zbigniew Nowak from Fotolia.com
