DOWNLOAD OUR COMMUNITY SHARPS BROCHURE

NIRW has secured a $60,000 NSW Health Grant to carry out a regional Community Sharps Management Program in 2008/2009.

NIRW is working closely with Hunter New England Area Health and other key stakeholders to implement a regional approach to the management of sharps in participating member Cuoncil areas.

This regional approach involves a combination of strategies, including the appropriate location of sharps disposal units (including public toilets and larger public place bins), providing education and training opportunities for Council staff and other community stakeholders, and the roll out of a broad community education campaign which will include promotion of the NSW Health Needle Clean Up Hotline (1800 633 353).

The unsafe and inappropriate disposal of community sharps poses significant OH&S and public health risks. NIRW identified the need to improve the current level of facilities and services provided in the region through Councils' routine mainenance programs as well as via feedback from local Material Recovery Facility (MRF) operators and the community.

The program targets residents and visitors to the region who require a disposal facility for community sharps, including people with diabetes and other medical conditions, injecting drug users as well as the large number of people in rural areas who administer injections to pets and farm livestock.

What are community sharps?

Community sharps is the name given to describe needles syringes, lancets and similar injecting equipment that are generated in the community, that is - not from a hospital or clinical environment.

Many people rely on using needles and syringes to maintain their own health or that of a family member. Injecting equipment is also by injecting drug users, and for animal healthcare by pet and livestock owners.

Community sharps should always be kept secure and seperate from other waste types.

Disposing of community sharps

Used community sharps should be disposed on in an appropriate sharps container, or puncture resistant container (not glass). The lid should be sealed when not in use.

The container should be stored away from the reach of children.  

When the container is 3/4 full, the lid should be sealed and the container should be disposed of at a community sharps facility.  Please note that all public hospitals will accept community sharps for disposal, and some hospitals have installed large public disposal bins for the convenient disposal of sharps containers. Please present used sharps in appropriate disposal containers. Some NIRW member Councils are installing large community sharps disposal units, and information on the location of these units will be updated on our website shortly.

Because of the high risk of injury to workers and other community members, community sharps should never be disposed of:

x in household waste or recycling bins (or crates) - plastic syringes ARE NOT recyclable!

x in public toilet litter bins

x by flushing down toilets or drains

x by discarding into the environment

If you find used injecting equipment

Whilst the risk of acquiring a serious infection as a result of an accidental injury from a community sharp is extremely low, the anxiety resulting from such an accident can be very signicant.

If you find used injecting equipment in a public place, please help to protect the community by phoning the Needle Clean Up Hotline on 1800 633 353