How do I dispose of used pens and needles in the UK?
Put each used needle straight into a sharps bin, never loose in household rubbish. Lilly says an empty Mounjaro (tirzepatide) KwikPen, needle removed, can go in a sharps bin or household waste. Wegovy's UK leaflet says to follow your doctor, pharmacist or council. Councils such as West Northamptonshire collect full sharps bins free if you book.
Where do used pen needles go?
Used pen needles go in a sharps bin straight after each injection, and never loose in household waste, says Lilly's UK medical information.1
The Wegovy leaflet says to unscrew the needle and dispose of it "as instructed by your doctor, nurse, pharmacist or local authorities".2
West Northamptonshire Council says needles in household or recycling bins put refuse collectors at risk. It linked a rise in these to weight-loss pens supplied by the NHS and online pharmacies.7 If you don't have a sharps bin, it says to ask your healthcare provider or online pharmacy.7 Bins can also come from pharmacies, GP surgeries and some councils, The Pharmacist reports.9
What do you do with the empty pen?
Take the needle off first; Lilly says an empty Mounjaro KwikPen can then go in a sharps bin or household waste, but not in recycling.1
Lilly says KwikPens "cannot be recycled" and must not be refilled.1 For an empty Wegovy FlexTouch pen, the UK leaflet says to remove the needle and follow your doctor, nurse, pharmacist or council. The cap and carton can go in household waste.2 The Wegovy 7.2 mg pen is a single-use pen; its leaflet says to ask your pharmacist how to throw medicines away.3
Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy and Ozempic, runs a take-back scheme for its plastic pens at a national pharmacy chain.9 West Northamptonshire Council points to the PenCycle website for recycling some pen cartridges.7 In November 2025 The Pharmacist reported no such scheme for Mounjaro.9
What happens to a full sharps bin?
Councils collect full sharps bins, and the two we checked, West Northamptonshire and Elmbridge, do it free when you book.7,8
West Northamptonshire says sharps must go in a sharps box "disposed of via a free booked collection service with your Local Authority".7 Elmbridge says "There is no charge for this service". You book online or by phone, and it can leave a 5-litre replacement box.8 Some pharmacies also take full bins back.9 We only checked two councils, so look on your own council's website.
What about leftover medicine?
Don't put unused medicine down the sink or in household rubbish; UK leaflets say to ask a pharmacist how to throw it away.4,2,10
Each Mounjaro KwikPen gives 4 doses, and the UK SmPC says any medicine left in the pen after that should be discarded.5 The MHRA warns against trying to "extract any remaining medicine" from a used pen.6 Storage limits are in How long can Mounjaro stay out of the fridge?
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Related questions
Sources
- Lilly Medical (UK). How to dispose of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) KwikPens and needles. Last reviewed 15 Aug 2025. Maker's medical information for UK healthcare professionals; not a label. medical.lilly.com
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy FlexTouch (semaglutide) UK patient information leaflet and instructions for use, last revised 08/2026. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
- Novo Nordisk. Wegovy 7.2 mg single-dose pen (semaglutide) UK patient information leaflet and instructions for use. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
- Eli Lilly. Mounjaro KwikPen (tirzepatide) UK patient information leaflet, last revised Aug 2026, sections 2, 3, 4 and 5. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
- Eli Lilly. Mounjaro KwikPen (tirzepatide) UK summary of product characteristics (SmPC), date of revision 29 Aug 2026, sections 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 6.3, 6.4 and 6.6. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
- MHRA. GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know. Published 5 Jun 2025, updated 5 Feb 2026. gov.uk
- West Northamptonshire Council. Advice on correctly disposing of sharps waste. News, 13 Jul 2026. westnorthants.gov.uk
- Elmbridge Borough Council. Sharps box collection. elmbridge.gov.uk
- Emily Warner. Pharmacists can play a key role in sustainable weight loss jab disposal. The Pharmacist, 17 Nov 2025. Trade press (secondary). thepharmacist.co.uk
- Novo Nordisk. Ozempic (semaglutide) UK patient information leaflet, last revised 11/2025, sections 2, 4 and 5. UK label. medicines.org.uk (emc)
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Oct 2027 · Report an error
How this answer was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Ask a pharmacist how to get rid of unused medicine, and talk to a qualified doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write