Safe handling and disposal of needles |
Children should never touch a discarded needle, crack pipe or other drug paraphernalia. If an adult chooses not to pick up a needle or crack pipe to safely dispose of them, call 3-1-1 to make arrangements to have the City pick them up immediately.
What to do if you find used needles, crack pipes or other drug paraphernalia
- Treat all needles and crack pipes (glass stems) as contaminated.
- Wear gloves (i.e. latex, rubber or leather gardening gloves). Gloves are meant to protect against fluid contamination, not punctures or cuts.
- Use tongs, pliers or tweezers to pick up the needle. Be sure to clean and disinfect the pickup instrument afterwards.
- Pick up the needle by the plastic end (syringe).
- Point the needle tip away from your body. Be very careful not to poke yourself with the needle.
- Put the sharps disposal container on a stable surface next to the needle. Do not hold the container in your hand while placing the needle inside.
- Place the needle point down into the container. Do not force the needle into the container.
- If you do not have a specialized sharps container, put the needle into a non-breakable, puncture-proof container with a lid. (i.e. thick plastic bottle or tin can.)
- Close the container securely.
- Find the nearest needle disposal location. Do not flush needles down the toilet or put them in the garbage or recycling bin.
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after removal of gloves.
- Important: If you have picked up used needles or other drug paraphernalia in your neighbourhood, please report these finds to Ottawa Public Health at needlereporting@ottawa.ca and indicate the following information:
- Your name and contact information
- What was found
- How many
- The exact or closest address to the pickup location
- The date of the pickup
If a needle injury occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
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Needle Drop Box Program |
It is against the law to dispose of your needles, crack pipes (glass stems), or other sharps in the garbage or recycling (By-law 2009-396 Schedule J). As a result of this by-law, Ottawa Public Health created and administers the Needle Drop Box Program. This program provides Ottawa residents with secure and tamper-proof drop boxes located at 78 locations across the City to allow for the safe and convenient disposal of sharps. In 2015, approximately 876,765 needles were retrieved from the Needle Drop Boxes. For information on the safe handling and disposal of needles, please visit What to do with used needles and crack pipes or if you would like to inquire about obtaining a Needle Drop Box for your business or community, please call the Ottawa Public Health Information Line (OPHIL): 613-580-6744.
Needle Drop Box Locations |
Location
|
Address
|
Aids Committee of Ottawa
|
19 Main Street
|
Bell Pharmacy
|
737 Gladstone Street
|
Capital Parking Lot
|
151 George Street
|
Carlington & Health Services
|
900 Merivale Road
|
Causeway
|
22 O'Meara Street
|
Centertown Community Health Centre
|
420 Cooper Street
|
Centre 507
|
507 Bank Street
|
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
|
401 Smyth Road
|
City of Ottawa - Bylaw Services
|
735 Industrial Avenue
|
City Of Ottawa - Mary Pitt Centre
|
100 Constellation Drive
|
City of Ottawa – Metcalfe Client Service Centre
|
8243 Victoria Street, Metcalfe
|
City of Ottawa - OC Transpo
|
875 Belfast Road
|
Dulude Arena
|
941 Clyde Avenue
|
Elizabeth Bruyère Hospital
|
43 Bruyère Street
|
Fire Station
|
3845 Richmond Road
|
Fire Station
|
500 Charlemagne Boulevard
|
Fire Station
|
135 Preston Street
|
Fire Station
|
1075 Greenbank Road
|
Fire Station
|
380 Eagleson Road
|
Fire Station
|
1445 Carling Avenue
|
Fire Station
|
635 O'Connor Street
|
Fire Station
|
530 King Edward Avenue
|
Fire Station
|
1300 Woodroffe Avenue
|
Fire Station
|
1397 Richmond Road
|
Fire Station
|
230 Viewmount Drive
|
Fire Station
|
3336 McCarthy Drive
|
Fire Station
|
900 Industrial Avenue
|
Fire Station
|
2355 Alta Vista Drive
|
Fire Station
|
900 Montreal Road
|
Fire Station
|
6213 Jean D'Arc Boulevard
|
Fire Station
|
1700 Blair Road
|
Fire Station
|
275 Coventry Road
|
Fire Station
|
220 Beechwood Avenue
|
Fire Station
|
60 Knoxdale Road
|
Fire Station
|
3255 Conroy Road
|
Fire Station
|
700 Brookfield Avenue
|
Fire Station
|
1641 Stittsville Main Street
|
Fire Station
|
5669 Manotick Main Street
|
Fire Station
|
1021 Teron Road (Kanata North)
|
Lowertown - Murray @ Cumberland
|
207 Murray Street
|
Lowertown - York @ Nelson
|
278 York Street
|
Lowertown Community Resources Dental Health Clinic
|
40 Cobourg Street
|
Medical Building
|
737 Parkdale Avenue
|
Montfort Hospital
|
713 Montreal Road
|
Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre
|
401 Somerset Street West
|
Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre
|
263 Montreal Road
|
Ontario Medical Supply
|
1100 Algoma Road
|
Ottawa Community Housing
|
415 Maclaren Street
|
Ottawa Community Housing
|
2100 Russell Road
|
Ottawa Community Housing
|
380 Murray Street
|
Ottawa Community Housing
|
251/255 Donald Street
|
Ottawa Community Housing
|
1400 Lepage Avenue
|
Ottawa Community Housing
|
123 Augusta Street
|
Ottawa Community Housing - Bellevue Centre
|
1475 Caldwell Avenue
|
Ottawa Fertility Clinic
|
955 Green Valley Crescent
|
Ottawa Hospital Civic
|
1053 Carling Avenue
|
Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus
|
190 Melrose Avenue
|
Ottawa Hospital General
|
501 Smyth Road
|
Ottawa Hospital Riverside
|
1967 Riverside Drive
|
Parking Garage
|
141 Clarence Street
|
Public Works Garage
|
380 Catherine Street
|
Public Works Garage
|
1683 Woodward Avenue
|
Public Works Garage
|
320 Bloomfield Avenue
|
Public Works Garage
|
3100 Conroy Avenue
|
Public Works Garage
|
256 MacArthur Avenue
|
Public Works Garage
|
29 Hurdman Road
|
Queensway Carleton Hospital
|
3045 Baseline Road
|
Richmond IDA Pharmacy
|
6179 Perth Street
|
Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
|
1145 Carling Avenue
|
Saint Vincent Hospital
|
60 Cambridge Street North
|
Sandy Hill Community Health Centre
|
221 Nelson Street
|
Sexual Health Centre
|
179 Clarence Street
|
Shepherds of Good Hope
|
256 King Edward Avenue
|
Shepherds of Good Hope
|
230 Murray Street
|
Somerset West Community Health Centre
|
55 Eccles Street
|
St. Margaret’s Church
|
206 Montreal Road
|
Stittsville IDA Pharmacy
|
1250 Stittsville Main Street
|
Vanier Snack Shack
|
200 Deschamps Avenue
|
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
|
299 Montreal Road
|
|
|
Pharmacies involved with the Take it Back! Program |
Used needles, syringes and glass stems are prohibited in the regular garbage. These items can be taken to a Take it Back! partner by phoning ahead to the retailer before returning an item. |
Needle Hunters Program |
The Needle Hunters Program is a major component of the City of Ottawa's corporate response to discarded needles, crack pipes, and other drug paraphernalia found in our communities. The Needle Hunters are a group of people who proactively search for and dispose of these items in priority neighbourhoods across the City. Their clean up routes are constantly monitored and adjusted in order to target areas of particular need.
In place since 1998, the Needle Hunters operate year-round, and work seven days a week. A Needle Hunters winter route was initiated in during the 2012-2013 winter season in many of the ByWard Market area parking garages and covered/accessible areas. Currently, they monitor/patrol the communities of:
- ByWard Market/Lowertown
- Centretown
- Vanier
- Carlington
In 2017, the Needle Hunters recovered 14,448 needles.
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Working with City services to quickly respond to discarded needles |
Ottawa Public Health works with other City departments through the City Contact Centre 3-1-1 to respond to requests for the pick-up of improperly discarded used needles. The City makes an effort to respond to all needle retrieval requests within one hour. In 2017, 921 needles were retrieved via collaborative action among City staff.
IMPORTANT: If you have picked up used needles or other drug paraphernalia in your neighbourhood, please report these finds to Ottawa Public Health at needlereporting@ottawa.ca and indicate the following information:
- Your name and contact information
- What was found
- How many
- The exact or closest address to the pickup location
- The date of the pickup
|
Providing needle pickup and disposal training |
Ottawa Public Health provides information and training to service providers and community groups on the safe handling and disposal of needles. For more information on the safe handling and disposal of needles, please see What to do with used needles and crack pipes or call the Ottawa Public Health Information line 613-580-6744 to arrange for a training session. |
Working with individuals who use needles |
Ottawa Public Health operates the Site Clean Needle Syringe Program. This program operates on the harm reduction principle of providing clients with an adequate amount of sterile needles to meet their requirements for safe injecting. The main goal of this program is to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, primarily HIV and Hepatitis C, and minimize the risks associated with substance use in the greater community. Our Public Health professionals also educate intravenous drug users on how to dispose of needles safely and the risks of failing to do so. We provide them with sharps containers and information on various disposal locations. In 2017, the Site Clean Needle Syringe Program, including all of their partner agencies, retrieved approximately 430,731 discarded needles. For more information please visit the Site Needle & Syringe Program webpage. |
Monitoring community needs and program effectiveness |
Ottawa Public Health consults with a broad segment of the community on local needs and concerns, and carries out a number of initiatives to ensure the program's effectiveness including:
- tracking the number of discarded needles and drug paraphernalia found in the City and directing our programs and resources to areas in need
- tracking and analyzing local injury and disease rates
- ongoing research including program evaluation and implementation of best practices
- advocating for increased resources for needle clean-up and recovery programs.
|
Estimated number of needles retrieved |
Needles retrieved
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
Needle Drop Boxes
|
245,923
|
*923,870
|
824,110
|
941,866
|
876,763
|
1,298,680
|
1,269,366
|
Household Hazardous Waste Depots
|
148,233
|
99,500
|
96,334
|
198, 670
|
68, 666
|
81,666
|
147,665
|
Needles retrieved by City staff
|
1,978
|
1,195
|
751
|
3,037
|
1, 111
|
591
|
921
|
Needles picked up by Needle Hunters
|
6,349
|
8,325
|
7,645
|
13,046
|
17, 169
|
12,124
|
14,448
|
Site Program & partner agencies
|
435,448
|
404,128
|
428,538
|
451,284
|
453, 371
|
436,695
|
430,731
|
Total
|
837,931
|
1,437,018
|
1,357,379
|
1,607,899
|
1,417,080
|
1,829,756
|
1,863,131
|
* In 2012, in response to concerns that needle drop box figures underestimated the total number of needles retrieved out of the drop boxes, OPH implemented a more accurate method for calculating the contents of needle drop boxes, based on sharps weight from each box.
Please note that the collection from the Needle Drop Boxes and the Household Hazardous Waste Depots is an estimate and may include other sharps and/or drug paraphernalia, much of which is used for medicinal purposes.
|
Estimated number of crack pipes retrieved |
Crack pipes retrieved
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
Crack pipes picked up by City staff
|
545
|
2
|
44
|
96
|
34
|
41
|
7
|
25
|
Crack pipes picked up by Needle Hunters
|
278
|
1,203
|
1, 064
|
1,271
|
1,558
|
1,421
|
1,928
|
1, 531
|
Total
|
823
|
1,205
|
1, 108
|
1,367
|
1,592
|
1,462
|
1,935
|
1,556
|
Please note that as of July 31, 2007, Ottawa Public Health no longer distributes sterile crack pipes or safer inhalation equipment.
|
Improperly discarded needles retrieved by ward by City staff and Needle Hunters |
Ward
|
Total Item Count
|
1
|
13
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
6
|
62
|
7
|
19
|
8
|
1
|
9
|
2
|
10
|
2
|
11
|
2
|
12
|
12,819
|
13
|
69
|
14
|
1791
|
15
|
18
|
16
|
492
|
17
|
29
|
18
|
8
|
19
|
2
|
20
|
0
|
21
|
13
|
22
|
10
|
*Undetermined Ward = 16
|