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Original poster

Hoe much do vets charge for sharps bin disposal

87 replies

hoobooboo · 04/03/2023 21:00

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.

OP posts:
barcodescanner · 05/03/2023 12:26

I inject b12, my council do doorstep collections every 2 weeks. Just have to email them and they add me to the next list. They have never asked me why I have sharps

hoover12345 · 05/03/2023 12:42

Mumdiva99 · 04/03/2023 21:22

Not pet related but I work in a school where we look after children that use needles. It's hard to get rid of the waste. Even the parents struggle.....there is no free service as far as I know.

Can they not take them to a pharmacy to dispose of? I'm from northwest and we have different places we can drop them off.

itsgettingweird · 05/03/2023 13:08

My council collects them for free. You just ring up and arrange. I don't remember being asked what for so I assume they'll take them for animals too?

Amicompletelyinsane · 05/03/2023 13:13

I'm from a vet practice and I sort the prices. We charge about 16 quid for a 1 litre tub. It sounds insane and I was shocked when I worked it out. We make no money at all on this. It costs that much to get it taken away by the company. We even tried to get a huge bin and empty them into it to reduce the fee to the owner as ironically the huge ones are about 50 to take. But health and safety wise we just couldn't keep exposing staff to the sharps risk.

I get people like to bash vets but honestly the expense of some things is huge and we earn nothing from sharps bins

FlamingMadKatie · 05/03/2023 19:14

To be clear, treating a cat for diabetes is not cruel in any way. We’ve been jabbing our 12yo boy twice a day for four years and he doesn’t flinch, never has. He comes running when he hears us get his gear out of the fridge because we do it when we feed him. He’s very well, very happy and completely chilled about injections. If he was suffering we would not prolong a miserable existence.

TheGoogleMum · 05/03/2023 19:34

www.westoxon.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/clinical-and-medical-waste/

Will this sort you out?

TheGoogleMum · 05/03/2023 19:39

TheGoogleMum · 05/03/2023 19:34

Oh nevermind I've just seen that they don't collect sharps! How annoying. I guess try GP then

GoodChat · 05/03/2023 19:42

Have you tried the council? They might offer a service.

AmandaJonah · 05/03/2023 19:53

Our pharmacy only accepts sharps bins if you get them from them on prescription, which actually seems fair enough.
The vet will pay a private contractor to collect and dispose of the sharps bin.

Lucinda7 · 05/03/2023 20:07

I have needles on prescription but because I have my meds delivered by a company the people at my GP dispensary refuse to take the full yellow containers. My prescription originates at the GP surgery. My delivery people said look on your council website and they should have somewhere where you can take them (free). In my case it is a local Morrisons pharmacy.

supernaturalbookworm · 05/03/2023 20:30

To all the posters here expecting councils or GP practices to take and dispose of (at a cost to the taxpayer) anything relating to pets really is disgraceful. Owning a pet is a privilege not a right, when you own a pet you take on the responsibility of all of it's care including ongoing medical costs if that is needed. I also work in a vet practice and I am disgusted by constant vet bashing. The so called £10 markup you state they would have as profit based on a previous posters response... Out of this 'mark up profit' they have to pay staff to answer the phone call when you need to order a new bin, staff to place the order with their suppliers, staff to be there to accept the order, staff to sort and label and store your order, staff to be there to take the bin from you and give you the new one, pay for cost of removal, this is without every other cost that is involved within vet practices. Vets staff do not get paid a lot of money when you consider the hours and training that they have to put in, most nurses and admin staff are on or just above minimum wage and they get abused daily. Grow up and look at the bigger picture.

GoodChat · 05/03/2023 20:32

Im a tax payer and I'd have no problem with the service being offered @supernaturalbookworm

ftbquestions · 05/03/2023 20:40

Ask the local council and failing that local tattoo shop?

supernaturalbookworm · 05/03/2023 20:46

@GoodChat I assume you are also happy to abuse the NHS/take council funding for your own personal gain then? Basically to use a service that has been provided for humans, in a way that you are not entitled to, for your own self gain and to save yourself some money (instead of paying for something you are responsible for) is fine? I'm not happy to pay for other peoples pets - again -personal responsibility!

Teatime55 · 05/03/2023 21:03

DH is diabetic. Only the hospital pharmacy would take his sharps, they told him it was a waste of time and to put them in a milk bottle and seal it up. His mum had the same advice in a different city.

Quisquam · 05/03/2023 21:25

To all the posters here expecting councils or GP practices to take and dispose of (at a cost to the taxpayer) anything relating to pets really is disgraceful.

Just to be clear, I only asked the council to collect my own sharps boxes, after 6 weeks of self injecting blood thinners.

However, I’d prefer to pay for the council to collect sharps, than irresponsible people choose to fly tip them in country lanes, because they have no safe way to dispose of them!

kitsuneghost · 05/03/2023 21:32

Mycatisalwaysangry · 04/03/2023 21:09

Zero. And I buy the bins on Amazon

How can it be zero? You must be disposing somehow? Does your local tip take it?

Mycatisalwaysangry · 05/03/2023 21:44

kitsuneghost · 05/03/2023 21:32

How can it be zero? You must be disposing somehow? Does your local tip take it?

Show quote history

The op asked me how much my vet charges for disposing of the syringes, and I replied that they charge me nothing for it, though I do pay them a lot for everything else.

GoodChat · 06/03/2023 05:45

supernaturalbookworm · 05/03/2023 20:46

@GoodChat I assume you are also happy to abuse the NHS/take council funding for your own personal gain then? Basically to use a service that has been provided for humans, in a way that you are not entitled to, for your own self gain and to save yourself some money (instead of paying for something you are responsible for) is fine? I'm not happy to pay for other peoples pets - again -personal responsibility!

I never said anything about my own personal gain. I'm happy for public spending to subsidise people who need financial support. If that means them paying a reduced amount for their sharps bins collections that's fine by me.

TerfIngOnTheBeach · 06/03/2023 06:02

Ive just googled my local council and collect and replace bins free too, you don’t have to declare the reason. I’m astonished actually as they are pretty shit as far as councils go.

Redebs · 06/03/2023 06:06

MarshaMelrose · 04/03/2023 21:27

My gp takes medical waste. They have a container on their desk. You don't have to declare anything, you just drop it in.

Why should the NHS pay for pet sharps disposal, though?

Redebs · 06/03/2023 06:10

Buy a bin on Amazon and then Google local clinical waste disposal services for disposal.
Whatever you do, don't just put it in your bin. That's illegal.

Rollersea · 06/03/2023 06:38

GoodChat · 05/03/2023 20:32

Im a tax payer and I'd have no problem with the service being offered @supernaturalbookworm

I am a taxpayer and I absolutely do have a problem with this. Funding is being cut left right and centre to basic services, I do not expect to be subsidising sharps disposable for animals.

Redebs · 06/03/2023 06:42

Remember that these bins have to be incinerated at high temperatures. It's not just a question of putting them in a bin and them disappearing forever. There are costs involved.

LP9 · 06/03/2023 06:57

I've arranged clinical waste collections before and £21 is OK for a 5L bin to be incinerated. It's really expensive to dispose of anything hazardous and the paperwork can be a nightmare. Someone above suggested arranging a collection with a clinical waste company yourself, please don't do that it's very unlikely they would collect from you.