I have a diabetic cat who is on insulin and I go through one syringe each day. I have one of those yellow 'sharps' containers for depositing the used syringes and when it is full I take it to the vet in exchange for an empty one. I have only had to do this once previously and I was sure I didn't pay anything on that occasion - I simply exchanged the full bin for a new empty one but today I was charged £14.98 for a new bin. I just wondered if anyone on this forum are in a similar situation and pays for new bins every time.

Have you considered asking your local pharmacy how much they would sell you one for.

Local pharmacies don't even take used human syringes any more you need to contact your local council for a collection, not sure if they charge I think some do and some don't.

I used to work in a vets surgery - your vet will have had to pay for the bin from their supplier so are charging you cost price plus their mark-up and VAT. If they gave you the bin for free, they would be making a loss. When you return a bin full of needles, it is collected by a disposal company and (I think) incinerated so it can't be re-used.

The vets I used to work for charged the clients for EVERYTHING - even kennel liners, which are disposable absorbent pads used in the animal pens when animals are in for an operation!

Can't you just take the syringes in an ordinary container?

Try your Gp or local hospital
Occasionally I have to have a course of Clexane injections & they always give a small yellow plastic box toput the empty syringes in Then I either take it back to the hospital or my Gp's surgery
Or maybe your local recycling depot might be able to help
Can't see why animal syringes should be treated differently to humans

You have to pay at the GP for human needles disposal. The local council is the place to enquire.

One of my dogs was diagnosed last year with diabetes and was put on to insulin. We bought the sharps bins from a local pharmacy for £1.70 and the vets disposed of them for free when they were full.

I thought that was the norm, but seems like the OP has to pay at their vets. Wonder if it depends where you live?

I asked my friend who has a diabetic cat - her vet gives her the bins free of charge.

I work at a Drs and we are not allowed to take sharps bins.

Its worth asking around, some pharmacies and Gp centres do take them in but thy are under no obligation to do so or duty bound by any law. And those that do may not wish to take them if they are for pet use they may just stick to humans with diabetes etc .

The local council will collect if you make an arrangement with them but most will charge to do so and you have a duty of care in how and where you store the bin whilst it awaits their collection.

The vets to be honest sounds the best way to continue, and they will charge as they have to buy the bins and they as a business are charged for their waste collection with additional charges for specialist waste, such as used needles.

That's awful! What do your diabetic patients do with their sharps bins? They'll end up being put in the normal rubbish if GPs won't dispose of them (some people on the diabetes website have said that they do this because of difficulties with their GP surgeries!).

Can't diabetics take them to their chemist? Which after all is where they will get their needles?

Pharmacies don't use needles so have no need of sharps bins, and the companies who sell the syringes don't dispose of them.

I am diabetic and take mine to my GP, but my previous surgery did not accept them and told me I had to call the council to get them to collect it. I have never been charged for one but obviously humans are covered by the NHS and pets are not, if the vet's surgery have to pay for the sharps bins I don't see why they would give them out for free.

The local council clinical waste department collect them. Pharmacies aren't allowed to take them either.

I just cap the syringes and put them in the bin in a rubbish bag! Have done this for years, and no-one's complained yet. There's no serious risk of infection to humans, as it's a cat that's being injected and he's not actually ill, and our bin men wear gloves and never handle the rubbish bags anyway.