Community sharps management

Many people use needles, syringes, and lancets, not just for recreational drug use, but also to administer essential medications for conditions like diabetes. People who use sharps, councils and government have a shared responsibility to ensure the proper disposal of used sharps to help keep our communities safe.

Image: Will Jones, City of Sydney

How to dispose of your used sharps

Found a sharp in public?

If you've found a sharp that does not belong to you, do not touch it. Call the NSW Needle Clean Up Hotline on 1800 633 353 to organise its safe removal.

Sharps bins

Using a sharps bin is the best way for you to dispose of your own used sharps safely while out in public. You can typically find sharps bins at:

  • hospitals
  • some pharmacies and medical centres
  • community health centres
  • community sharps bins provided by local councils, such as those in public toilets and parks.

To view more outlets or to enquire about other public disposal options, please consult your local council.

Sharps containers

If you often use sharps at home, it could be more convenient to store your used sharps in a puncture-proof container and dispose of the container once it is full.

You can purchase sharps containers that meet Australian standards at many pharmacies or online. Alternatively, you can use any puncture-proof container with a screw top. For example, an empty laundry detergent bottle.

Once the sharps container is full, you can take it to a public sharps bin to be disposed. If your sharps container does not fit into a public sharps bin, some pharmacies, medical centres and hospitals can help you to dispose of your sharps.

Examples

Example of a sharps container
An example of an Australian standard sharps container.
Example of a puncture-proof container
An example of a household puncture-proof container.

How to manage a needle stick injury

If sharps are not disposed of properly, they have the potential to cause a needlestick injury to someone in public. A needlestick injury is when a needle or syringe pricks the surface of the skin. Although the risk of disease transmission is low, a needlestick injury could expose you to blood-borne viruses, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

If you have suffered a needlestick injury, you should:

  1. wash the wound with soap and water for at least 30 seconds*; and,
  2. visit a nearby general practitioner (GP)​​ for further assessment and treatment.​

Learn more 

*If soap and water are not readily available at the time of injury, you can also use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser to clean the wound.

The responsibilities of local councils

Councils have workplace health and safety (WHS) obligations to manage risks associated with community sharps given that their employees might encounter these hazards. This may include people working in cleaning, waste management, park maintenance, community centres and libraries.

Although councils may not control the actions of individuals in public spaces, they must implement reasonable measures to minimise risks from discarded sharps to workers, volunteers, and the public. This includes ensuring there are appropriate sharps disposal bins available.

This involves identifying and assessing the risk of needle stick injuries and either eliminating or controlling these risks effectively. Councils should also have clear procedures for responding to and reporting needle stick incidents as part of their safe work method statements (SWMS).

More information can be found in the Community Sharps Management Guidance document.

View the guidance document

Current as at: Wednesday 2 October 2024
Contact page owner: Centre for Population Health