I don’t have access to a 3d printer myself, I’m just a nurse in school for my bachelors and looking for a good community improvement project and this idea struck me, and I’m hoping someone would be willing to help!
The FDA and CDC have both created guides for how to use a laundry detergent bottle (or other “alternative sharps container” to dispose of medical sharps due to the thickness and hardness of the plastic used in such containers. I think this approach could be optimized for additional safety by providing a cap that:
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Allows sharps to enter but discourages them exiting similar to this example.
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Has a cap can be secured out of the way while in use but that seals and locks tightly (even the threads in the portion that adapt to the laundry bottle could have teeth or some other mechanism that discourage it from unscrewing) similar to this example.
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I do worry the spout of some detergent bottles could interfere, so we’d have to find the best possible way to remove those or push them in.
The 3D pattern for the cap as well as the graphic image for a large adhesive label with a bio-hazard symbol and “MEDICAL SHARPS” in large text could be distributed in the public domain to help these materials be disposed of in the safest ways possible. Instead of distributing full sharps containers, communities could just distribute caps and decals. This could lower the cost of sharps disposal programs in low-income communities.
This would help multiple populations who need safe sharps disposal, including diabetics, people with severe allergies who use epi-pens, trans people who inject hormones, and people who abuse drugs intravenously. All of these populations can benefit from their contaminated sharps being contained safely.
Taking a quick looks to see what’s out there, I did find a couple examples (1, 2) which use a drinking bottle. Given the small size and thinner plastic, I don’t think those are quite as useful. Though, they are still better than nothing.
For the laundry detergent bottle, the main impediment is going to be the spout. Taking a quick look at one we have in the house, it matches the one shown in the FDA guide. Anything 3d printed to improve rejection of needles coming back out is going to need to deal with that spout. Cutting the spout out strikes me as a bad idea. It’d be quick and easy with a dremel; but, I’d assume anyone without the ability to obtain a standard sharps container would also not have a dremel. Cutting that spout out with a knife would be dangerous, especially for anyone with mobility issues. The spout also has the added difficulty of being off center. My first thought is to just extend something inside it, similar to the two designs I linked earlier. The spout is flimsy enough that it might be fine to just center something and assume that the spout will just conform to the piece.
I’ll try poking about at a design a bit and see if I can come up with something useful. I suck at threads though and may struggle a bit.