ideas for disposing of old needles and pins

I’m always really terrified of hurting someone when i throw out my old needles and pins, so i end up wrapping everything up in many layers of packing tape and then throwing in the trash. It’s not a perfect solution, and i don’t like that its not eco friendly.

So this week on Instagram i asked the question of how other people dispose of their old needles and pins, and there were so many awesome ideas that i thought it would be great to share them with you here! So without further ado, here are some awesome ideas for how to dispose of your old pins and needles

Wrap them up in piles of tape (I”m not the only one! hehehe partners in crime Jen, Elena, and Helene)
Place them in your local sharps bin (thanks to Judy and Charlotte for this fantastic idea)
Stick them in a cork before throwing in the trash (thanks to Sylvie for this one)
Take an old needle packet, write “OLD” on the front and put all your old needles in. When it’s full, tape it closed and throw away. ( idea from Measure Twice, Marilla, Kathy and Edna)
Put them in an old pill container (Thanks Issy, Kate, Misty)
Put them into an old spice jar (Thanks Issy)
Put them into an old tic tac container (via Janomegnome)
Put them in an old film container (thanks for the idea Claire)
Place in a mason jar labelled “sharps” and empty into recycling when full (thanks Amanda)
And my favourite idea, put them in an old metal mints tin, the whole thing can be thrown into the recycling (idea by Kerry)

*update* I didn’t realise this but apparently in some places recycling is hand sorted, and sharp objects are no allowed in recycling, so it’s definitely worth checking the rules where you live before you throw anything loosely into the recycling or trash bin. Apologies if i left anyone out, SO many good ideas!! So did we miss any?? Do you have any great tips for how to dispose of old needles and pins?

Megan Nielsen

ideas for disposing of old needles and pins