Safety guidance
Handling a home sharps container, plainly explained.
General guidance for people injecting at home. It is not medical advice and it does not replace the instructions supplied with your treatment or container.
Do
- Put each sharp straight into the container immediately after use, needle first.
- Keep the container upright, closed between uses and out of reach of children and pets.
- Stop at the fill line — usually about three quarters full — and never press contents down.
- Close the lid permanently when it is full, and check it is locked before storing it.
- Keep it somewhere dry, level and away from heat until a collection route is available to you.
Do not
- Do not post a used sharps container or send it by an ordinary parcel service.
- Do not travel with a sealed container unless an authorised receiving service has confirmed it will accept it and given you handling and transport instructions.
- Do not reopen, empty, decant or wash a sealed container.
- Do not put sharps in household waste, recycling, or a bottle, tin or plastic tub.
- Do not recap needles by hand or try to remove a needle from a device unless instructed.
Your collection service has the final word
If you have a needlestick injury
Encourage the wound to bleed gently, wash it under running water without scrubbing, dry it and cover it. Then seek medical advice straight away — contact NHS 111, your GP or your clinic. In an emergency call 999.
If a container is damaged or leaking
Do not handle the contents, repair it or move anything into another container. Keep people and pets away from it and ask your council, clinic, pharmacy or prescriber for instructions specific to your situation.
If your container is full now
Seal it and store it safely upright, then ask your prescriber, pharmacy or local council which disposal route is available where you live — arrangements differ by area. Register for priority access and we will tell you when SharpsSwap opens near you.