GLP-1s Are Changing America’s Homes—and Their Trash

Open a custom bathroom vanity today, and you might find more than towels and toiletries: a refrigerator for medication, drawers for syringes, even a compartment for used-needle disposal.

Today, 1 in 5 U.S. households (21%) includes a current GLP-1 user—up from just 9% in January 2025, according to an analysis by PwC.

And now, America’s homes appear to be developing a taste for less, too: The hidden kitchen is among the emerging trends in the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s (NKBA) 2027 design forecast.

But the rise of injectable medications is also drawing attention to a less glamorous, often-overlooked part of domestic life: the trash.

In New York City, sanitation workers have reported a sharp increase in needlestick injuries. The Department of Sanitation has identified the growing use of injectable medications, including GLP-1s, as a possible contributor, although it doesn’t track the types of needles involved.

On Nov. 9, the city will more than double fines for improperly discarded household medical waste, drawing objections from property owners who argue they have little control over what tenants throw away.

The home adjusts to a smaller appetite

GLP-1 medications are said to reduce what’s commonly called food noise: persistent, sometimes intrusive thoughts about food and eating. And as that mental chatter quiets, some households are finding they don’t need quite as much food—or space to store and prepare it.

PwC’s research on GLP-1 users found that grocery spending declined 5.5%, as users shifted away from snacks, sugary drinks, and alcohol in favor of produce, protein, and supplements. It’s even prompting some homeowners to reconsider how much kitchen they want.

“While these grand kitchens aren’t going anywhere, we have seen an increase in customers selecting homes with more modest kitchen designs,” Tammy Crosby, CEO of The House Designers, tells Realtor.com®.

The shift marks a stark departure from decades of kitchen design centered on abundance—perhaps nowhere more apparent than in the elaborate Tuscan-style kitchens of the early 2000s. Countertops doubled as displays for colorful bottles of infused oils, jars of preserved vegetables, and other culinary-themed decorations.

Even the modern farmhouse, which traded Old World ornamentation for a more restrained aesthetic, retained that appetite for excess: sprawling islands, oversized refrigerators, and walk-in pantries.

Now, Crosby says customers using GLP-1 medications are likelier to favor compact, efficient layouts that free up square footage for other priorities.

“A range will do just fine—no need for an expanded appliance suite with a separate cooktop and double wall ovens,” she says.

Likewise, households purchasing less food may no longer need oversized refrigerators or separate pantries designed for bulk groceries.

But the move toward quieter kitchens isn’t just about shrinking their footprints—it’s really about reducing what homeowners see.

And the so-called invisible kitchen takes that philosophy a step further, concealing appliances, food storage, and preparation areas behind cabinetry to create a more seamless living space.

According to the NKBA 2027 Kitchen Trends Report, 81% of surveyed industry professionals believe dividing kitchens into functional zones is a practice that’s here to stay, while 85% say cabinetry is being designed to conceal appliances and other working elements.

Of course, overlapping timelines doesn’t establish that GLP-1s are driving those changes. But the parallel is striking: Just as the medications are said to mute the thoughts surrounding food, designers are finding ways to lessen its visual presence in the home.

A similar philosophy is finding its way into bathrooms: 72% of surveyed industry professionals expect bathrooms to expand to accommodate wellness activities and more efficient storage, according to NKBA 2026 Bath Trends Report.

That might mean a custom vanity with dedicated compartments for medications and personal-care supplies, or bathroom cabinetry that conceals a small medication refrigerator or sharps container.

But Crosby cautions against assuming that injectable medications will create widespread demand for bathroom refrigeration.

“There has been talk of some people requesting refrigeration in the bathroom to store GLP-1s, but that’s probably overhyped,” she says, noting that people using insulin have long stored their medication in kitchen refrigerators.

A hidden danger in household trash

Even as GLP-1s quiet food noise in American homes, discarded needles are causing a cacophony in the trash—as a sharp rise in needlestick injuries among New York City sanitation workers makes clear.

Such injuries have tripled in the Big Apple since 2023.

That year, the Department of Sanitation recorded 23 injuries, followed by 40 in 2024 and 50 in 2025. By Oct. 21 of this year, the number had climbed to 69, according to testimony at a City Council hearing.

Sanitation worker Nicholas Derenzi knows what one of those injuries can mean. While collecting garbage on a Bronx route in 2020, a discarded needle pierced his glove.

“I felt something prick through my glove,” he told NY1 in August. “You’re by yourself, and that’s really when it kind of set in how scary, and the gravity of the situation.”

Coworkers subsequently discovered multiple needles inside the trash bags, and Derenzi was taken to an emergency room.

While it may seem small—just a small pinprick afterall—these injuries pose a serious health risk, requiring medical evaluation and follow-up testing for bloodborne infections.

So, with needlestick injuries mounting, New York City is turning to higher fines to discourage improper disposal of household medical waste.

Beginning Nov. 9, the fine will rise from $100 to $250, the maximum permitted under the applicable city law. But the change has drawn pushback from property owners who argue they have little control over what residents discard.

“Owners generally have no control over what tenants or passersby place in trash bags or building receptacles,” the Small Property Owners of New York (SPONY) wrote in a public comment opposing the rule.

The organization warned that expecting landlords or building staff to inspect garbage could expose them to the very injuries the regulation is intended to prevent.

DSNY, however, maintains that property owners already have a responsibility to ensure waste is disposed of properly.

“Property owners have always been responsible for the proper disposal of trash, and that includes using the proper containers and sorting material correctly,” Vincent Gragnani, the department’s press secretary, tells Realtor.com.

The new regulation specifies a $250 penalty for an individual violating the disposal requirements, although precisely how responsibility is determined when needles are discovered in a multifamily building’s shared trash remains unclear.

Meanwhile, DSNY is also working to reduce direct contact with garbage through mechanized collection. Its new residential trash bins are compatible with equipment that lifts and empties them into collection trucks, reducing the need for sanitation workers to handle bags manually.

But those changes don’t eliminate the need for safe disposal at the source.

“New York City residents disposing of syringes, needles, scalpels, lancets, and other sharp objects are legally required to place them in a ‘sharps’ container or other leak-proof, puncture-resistant container, such as a laundry detergent bottle,” Gragnani says.

Once securely sealed and labeled “HOME SHARPS – NOT FOR RECYCLING,” those containers can go into regular household trash. Residents can also bring used sharps to hospitals, nursing homes, or designated drop-off locations.