Only if you throw your sharps container away in the trash. For what it’s worth, I think technically you are not supposed to do that. It’s supposed to be returned to someplace that can dispose of it as medical waste.
1 Like
Most residential trash haulers will say that you can throw your sharps in a properly labelled container in the trash. The biohazard disposal is for things that are really contaminated. You can certainly dispose of your sharps using a biohazard disposal pathway, but I don’t think it is required in most municipalities and adds cost.
Each state has a process for throwing sharps away in the regular trash can. We have a process we follow in VA and it’s fully correct to use it.
1 Like
I can see the needle…it’s in there a bit, but it’s still visible and has no cap. Couldn’t a garbage collector’s finger go right in there theoretically speaking? I’d feel irresponsible throwing it a trash bag, but that’s just my opinion and I am also terrified of needles because I got pricked by one once (obviously not mine) and had to go through the mental agony of waiting for months and months on tests to be sure I didn’t contract anything. I also live in an area with a lot of needle drug use, so I have a skewed view of needles = danger I think.
I took one apart a used applicator to see how it worked…yes, I’m a nerd…what I couldn’t figure out and haven’t torn up a new applicator for: What is the mechanism for the needle to insert the sensor wire? Does the wire have a little bucket the wire push under the skin? Is there a small frangible connector between the needle and wire?
Ref the trash collector issue: I’m thinking collectors have to be careful about all sorts of things: open can lids, broken glass (yes, it should be recycled, but…), sewing needles, paper clips, staples in paper, etc. Given the wide potential poke and cut hazards, a G6 applicator would be far down the list (yes, I understand the bio-hazard aspect).
The Freestyle Libre works differently than the Dexcom, but the mechanisms may be similar. As far as I can tell, with the FSL before insertion the wire and needle form a unit together that needs to be clicked into a slot in the sensor. Contrary to the Dexcom, the whole sensor is slammed down upon insertion and the needle is able to retract without taking the wire with it, because it is hollow and on one side open lengthwise as well. Dexcom applicators might do that trick in a different order.
1 Like
For sure they do. When I was a cashier we got no safety training whatsoever and I went to empty the garbage outside the front door only to see a bunch of syringes thrown in (luckily visible as they were on the top). I would never have even thought people would do that, but anyhow I refused to empty the outdoor garbages from then on. People suck sometimes!
Liam has had a wonderful experience with the G6…he tells me he loves it much more than the G5. We don’t do anything special other than pinching up the skin at the front of the inserter gun. He tells me it’s so fast he doesn’t ever feel it…he used to complain with the G5 as sometimes I couldn’t get the shot in and out quickly enough for him.
4 Likes