What to do with used Syringes

[tmfinley]

What do you all do with the used needles and syringes used on your animals?

[celticfarmgal]

I frequently steralize and re-use them but if they are past usefulness I place used needles in a soda can and crush them with the can crusher to prevent them from injuring anyone when they are thrown out with the trash

[tmfinley]

How do you sterilize the plastic? I don't think I would want to use the needles too many times, they get dull fast.

[celticfarmgal]

well I was lucky to move into a home with a huge steam steralizer in it ( my house used to be the local hospital) I only use a needle twice usually

[watcher]

Several ways to sterilize plastic. Bleach water, alcohol, H202, UV (sunlight) are just a few.

As for the question. I also reuse them but try to make sure its on the same critter. I also save them for one of many other uses. Large bore needles work for awls in thin stuff. Use it for flushing dirt out of small holes or to clean sand/dirt off bolt threads. They let you put a little bit of oil just where you want it.

When I'm done I just toss them in the trash. If you are worried you could always burn them then use a magnet to pull the needles out of the ash then toss that into the trash.

[draggahaus]

I picked up a container from my vets office, and when it is full I just drop it off with them and it goes out with theirs.

[Otter]

I re-use the needles once or twice, then try to find a way to safely dispose of them, usually with a friend's insulin needles. I never thought to use one for an awl! Thanks!

I use the syringes until they break. Feeding small critters, flushing all kinds if things, great way to get bleach into tiny areas that need cleaning, squirt of bleach, let it sit, then a hard squirt of water gets that nasty black spot in the grout at the corner of the bathtub. Medicating a cat (not with the same one )Measuring vanilla, even a good squirt gun for kids. I have a ton of the things around for different purposes and I love them. Great for oiling hinges if your out of WD-40...

[longshadowfarms]

I use a plastic bottle big enough to hold them (vitamin bottle, etc) and stuff it full. Write "SHARPS" all over the outside and then drop it off at the drs office, hospital, vet's office or where ever to go out with medical waste. That's for the needles. The syringes it doesn't matter. They can go in the trash depending on what was in them but I often toss them in the same sharps container.

[Shawna]

We keep the ones we are disposing of in a milk container (plastic) and once a year the township or county has a pickup that they will pick up and dispose of them properly.

Shawna

[naturewoman]

I clean and save them to use for lots of things. I also buy them just to be sure I always have some on hand that are clean for feeding baby animals and birds. I have some special plastic tips to replace the needle for feeding.

I use a big horse syringe for refilling my narrow-necked hot sauce bottle (because I buy it bulk). I use them for administering Frontline to the dogs and Advantage to the cats, so I can buy it in larger sizes and dispense it according to body weight. It goes farther that way, as you are not applying more than you need. I use the plastic tips for that too.

They just seem to come in handy for so many things. Oh, I blow out eggs with them too.

[Quint]

I pass them out on Halloween for trick or treat.

[Scrounger]

I use sterilize them and reuse them. After their usefulness is passed, I will sterilize them again and take them to my wood shop. They work excellent for injecting glue into small places. They also come in handy when fixing bubbles in lino flooring and other projects. I also have several new insulin syringes that I use for the same purpose.

[BaronsMom]

We put our needles/syringes in a metal can and sealed them in quick dry cement. The "cement" cans are then disposed of in a nearby landfill when we had other items to take. Which apparently is appropriate according to one of the pubs below

I found these publications on the University of Nebraska Web site

Care of Veterinary Vaccine Syringes: This NebGuide explains the basics of veterinary vaccine syringe cleaning and care. Including how to sterilize and reuse all sorts

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/...licationId=435


Medical Sharps Disposal from Livestock Operations:This NebGuide explains how to properly dispose of medical sharps (hypodermic needles and scalpel blades) for livestock operations. Understanding this is critical for employee safety and environmental stewardship.


http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/...licationId=436

[Use Less]

I wouldn't re-use the sharps. I utilize as many canisters as I can for things like oiling machinery, etc. I trimmed on so that it has a wider opening and use it as a pill-popper for my elderly cat. Same process, or use a larger to forcefeed or water an ailing animal. Recycle the plastic, take the sharps to your doctor's office if they are willing? Sue

[Bonnie L]

I use a syringe for sucking egg out of eggshells. That leaves only 1 hole, which is better for a lot of crafts. My syringe is clean, so it's more sanitary than blowing eggs.

[naturewoman]

Originally Posted by Bonnie L

I use a syringe for sucking egg out of eggshells. That leaves only 1 hole, which is better for a lot of crafts. My syringe is clean, so it's more sanitary than blowing eggs.

Bonnie, unless you have a really large needle, it's the pits to get the white gunky stuff out of the egg. Try holding the egg with the hole down, and blowing air up into the egg with the syringe. It will force the egg out the bottom around the needle. It will sometimes break out the weaker eggs, but you probably don't want to keep those anyway. Then use the syringe to squirt water in the egg, shake it up, and blow the water out the same way. Repeat till the egg is clean and most of the water is out.

[dosthouhavemilk]

Needles are rarely reused, unless it is a series of treatments for one goat. They get hot water run through them and then Alcohol run through them.
Needles are put into a Mountain Dew bottle and I have yet to figure out where I am going to take it. I need to talk to the local vet's office and see if they would be kind enough to take it off my hands.
Syringes are rinsed and sterilized and reused for a bit. Depending on what was in them (syringes that had hormones are pitched immediately). They eventually end up in my wormer set up and the Cydectin destroys the stopper with only two or three uses. They get pitched at that point.

[Bonnie L]

Originally Posted by naturewoman

Bonnie, unless you have a really large needle, it's the pits to get the white gunky stuff out of the egg.

I don't use a needle, just the plastic syringe. I never thought about using a large needle - that would make a really small hole!

[longing]

When I used to have them, I would collect them in a glass jar and then drop them by the vet's office when the jar was full. They dispose of them with their sharps.

[naturewoman]

Originally Posted by Bonnie L

I don't use a needle, just the plastic syringe. I never thought about using a large needle - that would make a really small hole!

My holes are pretty small, which is why even using air pressure I do explode a few eggs in the process. Not too messy, just scares the heck out of me when it happens. I have some bigger cartridges with big non-pointed needles that came as ink refill cartridges for my computer printer, and I use those tips for blowing them out. So the hole I drill (with my dremel) is usually just under 1/8" dia. It's still a bit tricky getting the white lumps out, but most of the eggs survive.

Because the needle is stainless steel and can be sterilized, I can blow out the egg into a bowl and use it to cook with (although I usually just feed it to the dogs or chickens).