By Diabetes Canada and Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA)

For the over 3.7 million Canadians living with diabetes, managing blood sugar levels often includes the regular use of medical sharps such as insulin needles, syringes, pen tips, and lancets. While these tools are essential for daily care, how they’re disposed of is just as important. Improper disposal of used medical sharps poses risks to individuals, communities, and the environment.

Encouragingly, 71% * of medical sharps users already return their used medical sharps to appropriate collection locations, and 81%* understand that used medical sharps should never be thrown in the garbage or recycling, but rather returned to a collection location. These numbers reflect growing awareness—but there’s still work to be done.

That’s why Diabetes Canada and the Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA) are working together to raise awareness about responsible medical sharps disposal—and how every Canadian can contribute to a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future.

Why Proper Medical Sharps Disposal Matters

Used medical sharps can carry bloodborne pathogens and pose a risk of injury or infection if not disposed of safely. When tossed in the household garbage or recycling bin, they endanger waste collectors, janitorial staff, and even members of the public. Moreover, discarded medical sharps in landfills or public spaces contribute to environmental hazards.

Medical sharps should never be flushed down the toilet, dropped in public bins, or left loose in household waste. Responsible disposal is a matter of both public safety and environmental stewardship.

What You Can Do: Best Practices for Safe Disposal

If you or someone in your household uses medical sharps for diabetes care, here’s how to dispose of them responsibly:

· Use an approved Medical sharps container: These puncture-resistant containers are available at most pharmacies and are designed to safely store used needles and lancets. You can head to any collection locations for HPSA and get your free medical sharps container

· Type of Medical Sharps that can be returned:

§ Needles and syringes

§ Infusion sets

§ Lancets

§ Pen tips

§ Pre-filled syringes, cartridges

§ Auto-injector

For more information, head to https://healthsteward.ca/consumers/returning-medical-sharps/

· Never overfill: Fill the container only to the indicated line. Overfilling increases the risk of injury.

· Return for proper disposal: Once full, take the sealed container to collection location in your province. Collection locations are available in Manitoba, PEI, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario.

To find a nearby collection location, visit www.healthsteward.ca and use the collection location finder.

References: HPSA-consumer survey-2025