Daily Tips

When you’re on vacation, be creative about the proper transportation and disposal of your needles and lancets. Before you go away, purchase a compact sharps disposal container for the trip or consider an alternative such as using a small puncture-proof case, like a pencil box or an old thermos. Once you’re safely at home, you can safely dispose of your sharps. But if you don’t have access to a sharps return program, there are many household products that come in containers ideal for sharps disposal. The main requirements are a puncture-resistant, unbreakable material and an opening that can be easily and tightly sealed. Liquid laundry detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, and coffee cans (with a hole for insertion) are all possibilities.

Reviewed by Francine Kaufman, MD. 4/08