Discarded Needles in Our Communities

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 

1. Treat all needles and crack pipes (glass stems) as contaminated.
2. Wear gloves (i.e. latex, rubber or leather gardening gloves). Gloves are meant to protect against fluid contamination, not punctures or cuts.
3. Use tongs, pliers or tweezers to pick up the needle. Be sure to clean and disinfect the pickup instrument afterwards.
4. Pick up the needle by the plastic end (syringe).
5. Point the needle tip away from your body. Be very careful not to poke yourself with the needle.
6. 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.
7. Place the needle point down into the container. Do not force the needle into the container.
8. 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.)
9. Close the container securely.
10. Find the nearest needle disposal location. Do not flush needles down the toilet or put them in the garbage or recycling bin.
11. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after removal of gloves.
12. 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.

Training module: Safe handling and disposal of needles

It is against the law to dispose of your needles, crack pipes (glass stems), or other sharps in the garbage or recycling (By-law 2012-370 Schedule G - Prohibited Material). 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 approximately 80 locations across the City to allow for the safe and convenient disposal of sharps. In 2018, approximately 955,000 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 Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 and ask to speak with a Public health Inspector.  In addition, residents can take used needles to Household Hazardous Waste Depots or make arrangements with a participating Take-it-Back pharmacy.

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 2018, the Needle Hunters recovered approximately 20,000 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 2018, approximately 2,000 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

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.

* 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. 

*Undetermined Ward = 27