Safe needle and syringe disposal

Optum Specialty Pharmacy provides free Sharps containers so you can dispose of needles, syringes and used injection devices in a safe and proper manner. If you need a new Sharps container, you can request one from your patient care coordinator when you schedule your shipment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has several needle disposal guidelines to help decrease community exposure to needles. You should never:

Throw loose needles in the garbage
Flush used needles down the toilet
Place needles in recycling containers

Your local area may have different guidelines for needle disposal. If you are not sure about the correct way to dispose of needles in your area, check the following local resources:

Your local municipality or waste company website
SafeNeedleDisposal.org

Safe medication disposal

To dispose of unused or unneeded medication, Optum Specialty Pharmacy recommends you contact your city or county government trash and recycling services. Deterra Drug Disposal Pouches are available, upon patient request. The Deterra System is a scientifically proven product, powered by patented MAT12 Molecular Adsorption Technology. In a simple three step process, a user can deactivate drugs, thereby preventing drug misuse and protecting the environment. Click here for additional information.

The following resources may also be useful: