Put each used needle in a sharps disposal container right after your injection, and dispose of the container through a program in your area. This helps protect you, your family, and anyone who handles trash from accidental needle sticks.
Step 1: After your injection
Do not bend or break a needle, and never pull a needle off a syringe by hand. What to do with the needle right after your injection depends on your device:
Wegovy pen: The needle is hidden, so you don’t see or handle it. After your injection, put the whole pen in your sharps disposal container. Do not throw it in your household trash or recycling bin.
Zepbound KwikPen: Carefully put the outer needle shield back on, unscrew the capped needle, and put the needle in your sharps disposal container. Do not throw loose pen needles in your household trash, and do not store the pen with the needle attached. Once you’ve removed the needle, you can throw the used pen in your household trash or an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container.
Zepbound vial: Do not recap the needle. Recapping the needle can lead to a needle stick injury. Put the used needle and syringe in your sharps disposal container right away. Do not throw loose needles and syringes in your household trash.
Repatha SureClick autoinjector: Never put the orange cap back on, and do not touch the yellow safety guard, which locks around the needle after the injection. Place the used autoinjector and the orange cap in your sharps disposal container. Do not throw the autoinjector in your household trash. If your device looks different from the one described here, follow the instructions for use in its carton, and message your clinician if you’re unsure.
Never try to remove, bend, break, or recap a needle used by another person. This can lead to accidental needle sticks, which may cause serious infections.
If you’re accidentally stuck by another person’s used needle, wash the area right away with soap and water or use a skin antiseptic such as rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer, and get medical attention right away by calling your doctor or local hospital.
Step 2: Put the needle in a safe container
Used needles and other sharps should be placed in a sharps disposal container right away after use. This reduces the risk of needle sticks, cuts, and punctures from loose sharps. Never put loose needles and other sharps in the trash or recycling, and never flush them down the toilet.
An FDA-cleared sharps disposal container is the recommended option. These are generally available through pharmacies, medical supply companies, clinics, and online. The FDA also suggests asking the manufacturer of your medication whether it provides a sharps disposal container at no charge.
These containers are made of puncture-resistant plastic with leak-resistant sides and bottom. They also have a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, and come in a range of sizes, including smaller travel sizes.
If you do not have an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container, you may use a heavy-duty plastic household container, such as an empty laundry detergent container, as an alternative. It should be:
made of a heavy-duty plastic
able to close with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, without sharps being able to come out
upright and stable during use
leak-resistant
properly labeled to warn of hazardous waste inside the container
Do not overfill your container. Overfilling increases the risk of accidental needle-stick injury. When your container is about three-quarters full, dispose of it as described in Step 3. Do not reuse a sharps disposal container, and keep all sharps and containers out of reach of children and pets.
When you travel, carry a small, travel-size sharps disposal container in case other options aren’t available.
Step 3: Dispose of the container safely
Needle disposal rules and programs vary depending on where you live. Check with your local trash removal service or health department to see which of these options is available in your area:
Drop-off or supervised collection sites, such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies, health departments, medical waste facilities, and police or fire stations. Services may be free or have a small fee.
Household hazardous waste collection sites, which also commonly accept items such as household cleaners, paints, and motor oil.
Mail-back programs, where you mail certain FDA-cleared sharps disposal containers to a collection site, usually for a fee. Follow the container manufacturer’s instructions, because these programs may have specific labeling requirements.
Residential special waste pickup services, where trained special waste handlers collect sharps disposal containers from your home, usually for a fee.
Seal and label the container before you dispose of it. Do not put a used sharps disposal container in your household trash unless your community guidelines permit this, and do not recycle it.
For the rules in your state, call Safe Needle Disposal at 1-800-643-1643, email info@safeneedledisposal.org, or visit safeneedledisposal.org.
If you want more guidance, the FDA has step-by-step instructions on safe sharps disposal.
Who to contact
For anything about your injection itself, how you feel on your medication, or a missed dose, message your clinician through the chat on your Dashboard. Reply to the most recent message about your prescription.
For a sharps container or other injection supplies, contact your pharmacy.
In an emergency, call 911. If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.
Sources
This article follows the FDA’s guidance on sharps disposal and the manufacturers’ instructions for use for each device. If you’d like to read them yourself:
Zepbound KwikPen Instructions for Use, Eli Lilly and Company, revised January 2026
Zepbound single-dose vial Instructions for Use, Eli Lilly and Company, revised April 2026
Repatha SureClick autoinjector Instructions for Use, Amgen, revised August 2025 (the instructions are inside the full Repatha labeling PDF, after the Patient Information)
How to use the Wegovy pen, Novo Nordisk, updated June 2026
FDA: Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps, FDA, updated August 2023
GenMeds checked this article against these documents on October 27, 2026. Your pharmacy’s package insert is always the final word for the medication you were dispensed.