Hoe much do vets charge for sharps bin disposal

[hoobooboo]

My cat has diabetes. I have to inject him with insulin. The vet provided a special protective "sharps bin" to keep used syringes secure. I have just been to the vet to dispose of this waste. They want to charge £21(!!!!) for this. This charge was NOT mentioned to me beforehand. I find this price a total goddamn ripp-off. So I just would like to know if I am overreacting. What are other vets charging for this service? My vet charges an arm and a leg for his diabetes treatment as it is so I would have thought a free service to dispose of the waste would be the least they could do to ease the financial strain.

I am aware that this waste is not allowed to be disposed of with normal domestic waste but they do not make it easy to rid of otherwise. I have checked on my local council website and they offer no such service, I am in West Oxfordshire. Any advise on how others manage this appreciated. During these times I am annoyed that my vet is seemingly ripping me off. I would like to find a safe, preferably free method of disposal.
Thank you for your advice.

Not all pharmacies dispose of needles, mine definitely doesn’t, we refer patients to their GP surgery.
The only needles we are insured to dispose of are flu and covid vaccinations needles from our own clinic.
The disposal bins aren’t that expensive to buy though, we sell a 2L bin for £4.

We have a clinical waste collection from the council (since the GP surgery stopped taking sharps bins despite prescribing them). They replace the used bins at the same time. Alternatives are the needle clippers mentioned above and put the rest of the syringe in normal waste.

The bins aren’t expensive, it’s getting rid of the used ones that’s often difficult!

But it appears they can actually!

Our council has a collection service but we have to re order our sharps bin from the GP. Our local pharmacy doesn’t take them.

Our local council collects sharps boxes for free.

Mine didn't charge that was 5 yrs ago.

I’m a vet, have name changed for this. It costs us about £5-6 to buy a sharps bin (depending on size) and another £6-7 to get our clinical waste collection to collect and dispose of it. So it isn’t a rip off, different areas will pay more depending on where you are. Please don’t use nhs services such as pharmacies and GP surgeries to dispose of it. Pets are a luxury that the nhs should not be contributing to. Your pet insurance should pay this.

I doubt random pharmacies and surguries will take them. They're part of the NHS for humans! In fact a lot won't even take them if you're a patient. In my county there are huge bi s in certain hospitals and clinic which the public can use for free but you need a label on it with your nhs number. Anything else is arranged through the council. Seems odd but it's collected just like recycling...specific areas on specific days. There's a charge unless you're in receiving a means tested benefit.
I don't think uour vets overcharging. That's what it costs for incineration. You might be able to find a cheaper service if you're prepared to dispise in bulk. The sharps bins will be cheaper from Amazon

£21 doesn't seem bad to me at all. Why would you expect them to fund your pets illness? I can't imagine £21 is much more than it'll cost for paying a clinical waste company to dispose of.

My local council collects sharps bins. It doesn't mention it on their website, but if you phone them you can book it free collection and just leave it kerbside by 7am. Worth calling yours.

@Surgeonsurgeon my gosh! If you are paying £5-6 for per sharps bin then you must be supplying your customers with awfully large sharps bins! What size are you referring to? I have found suppliers here who charge £3 for a 5l sharps bin, which was the size supplied to us by the vet. I cannot comment on the recycling charges so I'll have to take your word for it. But taking your lead on recycling, I calculate my vet's costs would be in the region of £3 for a 5l sharps bin, and £7 for disposal. That's a £10 cost for them. I accept they might need to charge this but to hike it up to £21 for customers is downright extortionate.

You can ask a pharmacy to take it or contact your local council refuse department. And buy a new one on Amazon, EBay. Sometimes councils give you a replacement if they dispose of the old one ( or they used to)

Is there any drug clinic (like for heroin users) that might take your sharps for free?

Our vet is very expensive on the whole but they provide the sharps bin free. When it’s full they swap it for an empty one. Also I buy the syringes online as they’re much cheaper.

What??? Why should the NHS fund your sick animal costs?

This is madness! I have 2 cats. I adore them but if they were so ill as to need daily injections then I’d seriously consider having them put to sleep. Pets can’t consent to ongoing invasive treatment, it’s traumatic enough getting my cats to have their flea medication once a month. There’s no way I’d impose daily injections on them. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
But those of you who are suggesting that the OP utilises the services of GPs, chemists or other NHS services - or indeed the local council - to try and get free disposal of equipment used for animals should be ashamed. If your animal is insured, then perhaps try getting the insurers to pay. If not, then you should just pay yourself. Vets are mostly private businesses who’s aim is to make a profit. Clearly one way of doing this is to sell clients expensive ongoing treatments.

I did IVF so had about 4 sharps bins full, and the council collected them from my door for free. Might differ for regions but it's just an online booking form and they took them away :)

@hoobooboo I think it was £11 to dispose of. Can’t remember what I did in the end. I had two bins worth.

I’ve still got my sharps box for after my pregnancy. The GP refused to take it. The hospital said they would. I took it along plonked it on their desk and they gasped in horror and told me to remove it immediately. They wouldn’t take it. It was a 2 hr trip to the hospital and actually no expectation they would accept it either, so I stashed it in a cupboard. I think it’s still there. I must throw it in the general waste. It’s not going to be collected now.

I am not ashamed.

Bonkers that you think either the NHS/UK taxpayer or a private business should subsidise the cost of your pet’s medical treatment.

You are the owner, this is your responsibility to pay for/use insurance for, not anyone else’s.

@Soontobe60 what an utterly stupid response. Would you also say people should "put down" their diabetic children because they cannot consent. Get real.

Some very useful responses here - thank you so much to those who provided constructive feedback. I am particularly intrigued by the BD needle clipper option, which I wasn't aware of previously and which I will look into. Safely snapping the needle off the syringe at its base and isolating that, means from what I can gather the rest of the syringe can be disposed of in the usual daily recycling. I am anticipating a far reduced disposal charge if I just present the full BD needle clipper box to the vet instead of a bulky sharps container containing the whole syringes.

We use a needle clipper, they're about £6 on Amazon. Also get insulin and needles from animed much cheaper than the vet, I pay £10 to the vet for a six month prescription.

You just out the clipper in the bin when it's full don't need to take it to the vet. They last for ages though my dog has two injections a day and I think I've had this one over a year.