Hello, all. I was wondering what kind of sharps container you use to dispose of infusion set changes for the Tandem t:slim Autosoft XC infusion set capsules. I have yet to find anything with a wide enough opening.
I’m bad, for Dexcom I use a coffee can and for in set devices a peanut butter jar. We drink enough coffee and I eat enough peanut butter🤩
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Thank you, Luis3. Unfortunately, I’m not a coffee drinker and go through a peanut butter jar in about a year. I’m glad it works for you though. Thank you for sharing. 
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I remove the sharp inserter needle with a needle nose plier I keep just for that purpose. I drop both it and the needle from the syringe into a conventional sharps container I get for free from the local hospital. The rest of the plastic can be recycled or thrown into my garbage. I dispose of the sharps container every several years at the same hospital, also for free. Some hospitals charge a fee for disposal and when they give you a new sharps container. Mine hasn’t yet done that.
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Before I starting insulin I used a liquid laundry detergent bottle for animal needles. But the opening is not large enough for Dexcom and sets.
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Yes, I have found that to be my problem also. Otherwise, those laundry bottles would work.
Oh, I wasn’t aware of hospitals giving out sharps containers. It’s something I should check into. Thank you, Willow.
Maybe a silly question but did you check with your pharmacy? My pharmacy gives them out and will exchange for a new one when you bring it in full, as long as they have one available.
I’ve been throwing my Libre sensor inserter in the garbage because the needle retracts, but now I’m thinking I should be putting it in my sharps container. I called Abbott and they confirmed this. It will fit with some persuasion. Next time I apply one I’ll check and see if I can remove the needle. Thanks for that idea Willow4.
Never thought to ask the Pharmacy. I did buy a couple of them from there but they filled up quickly. Next time I’m picking up a prescription I will ask. Thanks for the tip.
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I use a hemostat to remove the needle and dispose of it in my sharps container. I then throw the bulky plastic autosoft device in the regular trash.
I also pull the needle out of the Autosoft XC inserter and toss it into my sharps container (a laundry detergent bottle). I also use DexCom G6. To discard those appropriately, I put the inserter in a vise to crack it open (with the addiitonal help of a screwdriver) and remove the cartridge with the inserter needle. The cartridge will fit in the detergent bottle. I dispose of the Autosoft pod and G6 inserter in the regular trash after removing the needles. My local hospital ER accepts the sharps free of charge as long as they are in a hard sided plastic container.
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I put the whole thing in the trash. It’s self-contained.
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That’s a good idea! I have one of those hemostats. It seems like a waste of a sharps container space throwing that entire piece out. I think I’ll try that from now on. Thank you.
Is the XC a 90 degree inserter? My brother just bends the needle 90 deg, puts the cap on and tosses it in the trash.
I use the AutoSoft 30. It is pretty easy to remove the needle. I put that and the syringe needle in a 20 oz Snapple bottle. When it’s full, I pour in a couple of ounces of bleach, shake it up and toss it in the trash.
To remove the needle from the AutoSoft 30 inserter, hold it so the needle points up. On the top edge of the body, there are two white latch tabs that hold the inserter mechanism in the body. Push them apart, Ieft tab to the left, right tab right. Hold the tabs apart and push down. The mechanism should start sliding out from the bottom. Pull on the set handle to pull it all the way out. Break the needle and it’s base off the mechanism. Needle to the sharpes container, the rest in the trash.
California (or maybe it’s my county?) requires proper sharps containers, and luckily I can dispose of them for free at a local Kaiser facility (county household hazardous waste pick-up location). I get 2.2 quart containers on Amazon which come in a 3-pack, nested together, so you have to attach the lid later. I don’t attach the lid until it’s full, so opening-size isn’t an issue. It’s small enough to put on a cat-safe shelf, and we don’t have kids in the house. I can put anything that I use into it, but the opening is pretty big. (The can of Dr Pepper is for size comparison. LOL).
In reference to my previous post, the close up picture shows the opening on the lid at maximum size.
You have to search for “2.2 qt”. Searching for 2 qt won’t find it.
Thank you! I just ordered something similar from Amazon, but a little larger.