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Disposing of pens and needles: what the leaflets say and who to ask

A pharmacist in a white coat reads the plain label on a brown glass bottle taken from a wooden shelf

Disposing of pens and needles: what the leaflets say and who to ask

  • Explainers
  • The Dose Club team
  • Updated

A used needle is a sharp, an empty pen has its own instruction and the carton goes in the household bin. What the Wegovy and Mounjaro documents say about each, and where sharps bins come from and go to.

Both medicines produce three kinds of waste: a used needle every week, an empty pen every four weeks and the packaging. The documents that come with the medicines treat each one differently. This article sets out what the Wegovy and Mounjaro leaflets and summaries of product characteristics (SmPCs) say, and points to the services that take the sharp waste away. It gives no instruction of its own.

Needles

The Wegovy leaflet's instructions for use say: "Always dispose of the needle immediately after each injection to prevent blocked needles, contamination, infection and inaccurate dosing. Never store your pen with the needle attached." On where the needle goes, it says to "dispose of it carefully as instructed by your doctor, nurse, pharmacist or local authorities", and it adds: "Never try to put the inner needle cap back on the needle. You may stick yourself with the needle."

The Wegovy SmPC says the same to prescribers: "Needles and other waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements", and the patient "should be advised to safely discard the injection needle after each injection and store the pen without an injection needle attached".

The Mounjaro leaflet refers you to the separate instructions for use that come with the KwikPen, and the Mounjaro SmPC says: "Any unused medicinal product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements." The Mounjaro SmPC also records that "Needles are not included in the pack", so the needles for a KwikPen are supplied separately. Each Wegovy pack contains four NovoFine Plus needles.

Empty pens and packaging

The Wegovy leaflet says: "When the pen is empty, dispose of the pen without a needle on as instructed by your doctor, nurse, pharmacist or local authorities." The Mounjaro leaflet says that after the last dose "the pen must be properly discarded". Section 5 of both leaflets carries the sentence printed on every UK leaflet: "Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use." A pen that still contains medicine, for example one that has been frozen or has passed the in-use period in section 5, is a medicine you no longer use, and the pharmacy is where the leaflets send you.

The Wegovy leaflet is the one document that names the household bin, and only for the cardboard and plastic: "The pen cap and the empty carton can be disposed of in your household waste."

Sharps bins

The phrase "as instructed by your doctor, nurse, pharmacist or local authorities" points at the local arrangements for sharps, which differ across the UK. A sharps bin is a rigid, lidded container made for used needles. In England and Wales the government's council service finder has a page headed "Request clinical waste collection", which says: "Some councils can collect and dispose of used syringes, drugs, pharmaceuticals and surgical waste", and "There may be a charge for this service." Enter your postcode there to see what your council offers. Elsewhere in the UK the arrangements are set locally, and the pharmacy that dispensed your medicine can tell you what applies where you live.

Who supplies the bin, and whether the pharmacy or the prescriber arranges it, also varies by area, so it is worth asking when the medicine is dispensed and before the first bin is full.

The government's hand luggage guidance lists hypodermic syringes as allowed in hand luggage and in the hold, and says medical equipment that is essential for the trip is screened separately. A used needle still needs a sharps container on the move. The storage and travel article on this site covers packing.

What the app records

The pen and supply tracker in The Dose Club app counts the doses left in the pen you are using and can remind you to reorder. It keeps no record of disposal and gives no instruction about it.

Sources

This article is information, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber about your treatment.

  • leaflets
  • sharps
  • disposal