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Keeping Ottawa neighbourhoods safe is our collective responsibility. Improperly discarded needles, crack pipes, and other drug paraphernalia found in our communities have been identified as a serious concern. In an effort to promote community safety, Ottawa Public Health (OPH), along with numerous City and community partners, has implemented a variety of measures to address this issue.
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.
If a needle injury occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
Training module: Safe handling and disposal of needles
Needle Drop Box Program
The Needle Drop Box Program provides Ottawa residents with secure and tamper-proof drop boxes located at approximately 90 locations across the City to allow for the safe and convenient disposal of sharps. See the Needle Drop Box Locations table below to find the needle drop box nearest you. For information on the safe handling and disposal of needles, please visit What to do with used needles and crack pipes. In addition, residents can take used needles to Household Hazardous Waste Depots or make arrangements with a participating pharmacy.
It is against the law to dispose of your needles, glass stems, or other sharps in the garbage or recycling (By-law 2012-370 Schedule G - Prohibited Material)."
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 Medical Supply
1100 Algoma Road
Ottawa Community Housing
201 Friel Street
Ottawa Community Housing
138 Arlington Avenue
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
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
6265 Perth Street
Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre
1145 Carling Avenue
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 #1
230 Murray Street
Shepherds of Good Hope #2
230 Murray Street
Somerset Street West Bridge
Beezehill Avenue North & Somerset Street West
Somerset West Community Health Centre (Front)
55 Eccles Street
Somerset West Community Health Centre (Back)
55 Eccles Street
St. Luke's Table
760 Somerset Street West
St. Margaret’s Church
206 Montreal Road
Stittsville IDA Pharmacy
1250 Stittsville Main Street
Tom Brown Arena
141 Bayview Station Road
Vanier Snack Shack
200 Deschamps Avenue
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
299 Montreal Road
Returning medical sharps to pharmacies
Used needles, syringes and glass stems are prohibited in the regular garbage. These items can be taken to a pharmacy participating in the Health Products Stewardship Association's free take-back program. Visit the HPSA website to find the nearest participating pharmacy.
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
Working with City services to clean up 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.
Responsibility for Needles Found on Private Property
Property owners are responsible for removing discarded needles / paraphernalia from their property.
Non-publicly accessible areas: Property owners are responsible for having the item(s) removed. If they are not comfortable removing the item(s), they should call a private waste removal company to have the hazardous material removed.
Publicly accessible areas: By-law and Regulatory Services may attend if the item is publicly accessible and poses a risk to the public.
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.
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.
Strategies to Collect Discarded Needles and Syringes in Our Communities
Keeping Ottawa neighbourhoods safe is our collective responsibility. Improperly discarded needles, syringes, crack pipes, and other drug paraphernalia found in our communities will always be an important priority. In an effort to promote community safety, Ottawa Public Health, along with numerous City and community partners, has implemented a variety of measures to address this issue. Through these various measures, it is important to highlight that the vast majority of needles used in the community are properly disposed. These measures include:
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. As a result, OPH created and administers the Needle Drop Box Program. This program provides Ottawa residents with appropriate, secure and tamper-proof drop boxes located at approximately 80 locations across the City to allow for the safe and convenient disposalof sharps.
City Services - OPH 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. If you have picked up used needles or other drug paraphernalia in your neighbourhood, please report these finds to OPH at needlereporting@ottawa.ca
The Needle Hunters Program - This program is a major component of the City of Ottawa’s corporate response to improperly 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.
Pharmacies involved with the Take it Back! Program - Used needles, syringes, and glass stems can be taken to a Take it Back! partner by phoning ahead to the retailer before returning an item.
Harm reduction programs - OPH operates the Site Needle Syringe Program. Our Public Health professionals educate all people who use 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, and also encourage them to return their supplies directly to the program. OPH has approximately 30 harm reduction partners across the City.
* 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: Data for Needle Drop Boxes and Household Hazardous Waste Depots are estimates based on weight. These weights and resulting estimates for numbers of needles may be affected by garbage and other drug paraphernalia. The collection of needles from City staff, Needle Hunters, and the Site program & partner agencies are largely true counts but may include some estimates based on weights.
Improperly discarded needles retrieved by ward by City staff and Needle Hunters