How to Dispose of an Insulin Pen: Needle, Pen Body and Sharps Container

General information, not medical advice. Follow the instructions for use (IFU) that came with your pen and your local waste rules, and ask your prescriber or pharmacist about your own situation.

Short answer: used pen needles go into an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container right away, not into household trash. What happens to the pen body depends on the manufacturer: the NovoLog FlexPen IFU allows an empty pen to go in household trash once the needle is removed, the NovoLog FlexTouch IFU says the pen and needles may go in a sharps container, and Eli Lilly’s UK guidance for the KwikPen says household waste after the needle is removed unless local rules differ. Read your pen’s IFU, and let local rules decide.

What you need

• An FDA-cleared sharps disposal container. FDA says to place all needles and other sharps in one immediately after use (FDA, content current as of 08/10/2023). See what an FDA-cleared sharps container is.
• Your pen’s instructions for use. Manufacturers word the pen-body step differently (see the table below).
• If you have no sharps container, a household container with the features the NovoLog IFU lists: heavy-duty plastic; a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid so sharps cannot come out; upright and stable during use; leak-resistant; and properly labeled to warn of hazardous waste inside.

Steps

1. Put the used needle in a sharps disposal container immediately after use. The NovoLog label says: do not throw loose needles in household trash.
2. Do not reuse or share needles or syringes (NovoLog patient information).
3. Check your IFU for what happens to the pen body. See the table below.
4. Stop filling the container at about three-quarters full (FDA), then close it and follow your community guidelines for disposal (see where to take a sharps container).
5. Keep the container away from children and pets, and do not reuse it (FDA).

Needle versus pen body: what three manufacturers say

Pen and source	Needle	Pen body
NovoLog FlexPen, Novo Nordisk IFU (US)	FDA-cleared sharps container right after use	When not enough medicine is left for the prescribed dose, it may be thrown away in household trash after the needle has been removed
NovoLog FlexTouch, Novo Nordisk IFU (US)	FDA-cleared sharps container right after use	The used pen and needles can be put in an FDA-cleared sharps container; do not throw loose pens or needles in household trash
KwikPen, Eli Lilly medical information (UK page)	Sharps container with a secure lid	Household waste after the needle is removed, unless local regulations differ; KwikPens are not recyclable

The table covers only these three products. The FDA page on disposing of sharps does not mention insulin pens specifically, so the pen-body rule comes from the manufacturer’s IFU, not from FDA. Check the IFU for your own pen.

For storage rules, see whether an insulin pen needs to be refrigerated.

What can go wrong

• Loose needles in household trash. The NovoLog label and FDA both direct needles to a sharps container.
• Overfilling the container. FDA says to stop at about three-quarters full because overfilling raises needle-stick risk.
• Recycling the container or binning it by default. The NovoLog IFU says not to recycle a used sharps container and not to put it in household trash unless your community guidelines permit it. Eli Lilly’s UK page also says not to recycle a filled sharps container.
• Assuming every pen follows the same rule. The table shows the wording differs between FlexPen, FlexTouch and KwikPen.
• Ignoring local law. The NovoLog IFU notes there may be state or local laws about how to throw away used needles and syringes.

When to get professional help

Ask your pharmacist, prescriber or diabetes care team if your IFU is missing or unclear, or if you are unsure which rule applies to your pen. For state-specific needle disposal rules, FDA lists Safe Needle Disposal at 1-800-643-1643 or [email protected]. For household full-container options, FDA lists drop-off sites (doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies, police and fire stations), household hazardous waste sites, mail-back programs and residential special waste pick-up. See sharps container mail-back programs and, for one state’s rules, sharps disposal in California.

FAQ

How do I dispose of an insulin pen?

Put used needles in an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container immediately after use. Then follow your pen’s IFU for the pen body: for the NovoLog FlexPen it may go in household trash once the needle is removed, while the FlexTouch IFU says the pen and needles may go in the sharps container.

Can I throw an insulin pen in the trash?

Sometimes, but never the needle. The NovoLog FlexPen IFU and Eli Lilly’s UK KwikPen page allow the pen body in household trash after the needle is removed (Lilly: unless local rules differ). The NovoLog FlexTouch IFU says not to put loose pens in household trash. Check your IFU.

Do I put the whole pen in a sharps container?

For the NovoLog FlexTouch, yes: the IFU says the pen and needles can go in an FDA-cleared sharps container. For other pens, follow their IFU.

Can I recycle an insulin pen?

Eli Lilly’s UK page says KwikPens are not recyclable. The NovoLog IFU says not to recycle a used sharps container. Ask your local waste authority about anything else.

What do I do with a full sharps container?

Stop at about three-quarters full, close it, and follow your community guidelines: drop-off sites, household hazardous waste sites, mail-back programs or special waste pick-up (FDA). The NovoLog IFU points to https://www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal.

Related: what a hypodermic needle is.

Sources

• NovoLog (insulin aspart) Prescribing Information, Patient Information and Instructions for Use (FlexPen, FlexTouch), Novo Nordisk, revised 02/2023: https://www.novo-pi.com/novolog.pdf (checked 2026-10-30).
• FDA, Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps, content current as of 08/10/2023: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safely-using-sharps-needles-and-syringes-home-work-and-travel/best-way-get-rid-used-needles-and-other-sharps (checked 2026-10-30).
• Eli Lilly, How should patients throw away the KwikPen (UK medical information), last reviewed 16 May 2025: https://medical.lilly.com/uk/products/answers/how-should-patients-throw-away-the-kwikpen-177890 (checked 2026-10-30).