Discarded Needles in Our Communities

New - To report on drug paraphernalia items that you have cleaned up around the city use the Drug Paraphernalia Reporting Webform.

Safe handling and disposal of needles

What to do if you find used needles, glass stems or other drug paraphernalia

If you find a discarded needle or other drug paraphernalia, you have two options to safely dispose of the item.

  1. Call 3-1-1 to dispatch City staff to retrieve the item(s). 
    or
  2. Dispose of the item(s) yourself in a needle drop box.
Safe handling and disposal of needles
Review the safe handling and disposal guidelines and training module for detailed instructions on how to dispose of needles and drug paraphernalia - Printable instructions. This document is currently not in an accessible format. An accessible version will be available shortly.

Materials required:

  • Gloves (i.e. latex, rubber or leather gardening gloves). Gloves are meant to protect against fluid contamination, take precautions as no gloves are puncture proof.
  • Tongs, pliers, or tweezers. Be sure to clean and disinfect the instrument afterwards.
  • Sharps container or hard plastic bottle (i.e., pop bottle). 

Instructions:

  1. Prepare yourself with gloves, tongs, and a hard plastic container. Do not make direct contact with the needle when disposing of it.
  2. Using tongs, pliers, or tweezers, pick up the item so that the sharp end is pointing away from you.
  3. Place the hard plastic container on a stable surface. Put the needle point down into the container and secure the container shut. Do not hold the container in your hand while placing the needle inside.
  4. Dispose of the container at a needle drop box. Do not flush needles down the toilet, and do not put them in the garbage or recycling bin.
  5. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
  6. Report what you disposed of to Ottawa Public Health through the Public Reporting Webform.

Children should never touch needles or other drug paraphernalia. If a child finds a needle, teach them to report it to a trusted adult who can arrange for the item to be dealt with safely.

Sharps kit pilot program

Ottawa Public Health is committed to supporting the safety of residents who are collecting needles on private property and those individuals going above and beyond by retrieving discarded drug paraphernalia in the community. In recognition of the community’s existing efforts, sharps kits are available to equip those individuals with the appropriate tools and training to reinforce personal safety while retrieving needles and drug paraphernalia.

What is included in a sharps kit?

Sharps kits contain the full set of tools required for safely retrieving discarded needles and drug paraphernalia. They include instructions covering safe handling and disposal, needle drop box locations, and what to do in case of a needle stick injury.

Contents:

  • Thick protective gloves
  • Anti-septic swabs
  • Tongs
  • Sharps container
  • Safe handling and disposal instructions

How do I access a sharps kit?

Sharps kits will be available for pick-up as of May 1st, 2024, from participating locations.

  • Respect Rx, 45 Montreal Road
  • Respect Rx, 306 Rideau Street
  • Ottawa Public Health, 179 Clarence Street
  • Centretown Community Health Centre, 420 Cooper Street
  • Centretown Pharmacy, 326 Bank Street
  • Rosemount Branch - Somerset Community Health Centre, 30 Rosemount Avenue
  • Carlington Community Health Centre, 900 Merivale Road

Is there a cost?

Sharps kits are supplied by Ottawa Public Health and distributed at partner sites. They are available at no cost.

Are sharps kits for everyone?

Sharps kits are to support the safety of residents who are collecting needles on private property and those individuals going above and beyond by retrieving discarded drug paraphernalia in the community.

Businesses such as tattoo parlours and veterinary clinics that create biohazard waste cannot request a sharps kit for their own operations. For these instances, they must source their own disposal solutions.

How many sharps kits can I request at once?

An individual may collect up to three sharps kits at a time. A larger container can be requested if required. Please speak to the attendant about your needs.

Where can I dispose of sharps kits?

Sharps kits can be disposed at any needle drop box across the city. See the needle drop box map for the location nearest you.

Sharps kits, like needles, are biohazard waste and cannot be disposed of in a garbage or recycling bin.

If I retrieve drug paraphernalia myself, how will the City be aware of the amount being discarded in my neighbourhood?

Ottawa Public Health relies on reporting from all retrieval streams to inform program service-planning. When you retrieve discarded needles and drug paraphernalia, report it through the Drug Paraphernalia Reporting Form. Your reporting identifies the activity in your area.

I have a question that wasn’t answered on this page. Who do I speak to?

Review the Discarded Needles in Our Communities webpage, for more information on:

Training module
What to do in the case of a needle stick injury

The following instructions also apply to injuries occurring from other potentially contaminated objects in the community - printable instructions (pdf - 118 KB). This document is currently not in an accessible format. An accessible version will be available shortly.

  1. Allow the wound to bleed freely. Do not squeeze the wound. This may damage the tissues and increase the risk of infection.
  2. Wash the wound with soap and water. Do not apply bleach or alcohol to the wound.
  3. Go to your local emergency department immediately for follow-up care.
    • An assessment will be done to determine the need for post-exposure prophylaxis (e.g., medications and/or vaccinations to further reduce the risk of transmission). The effectiveness of these medications decreases with time since the injury occurred, making it important to seek assessment as soon as possible.
    • Baseline blood tests for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will be done at this visit, with follow-up blood tests to be done over the next three months to make sure none of these viruses have been transmitted. Provide your healthcare provider with a link to OPH’s information for healthcare professionals webpage during your visit.
    • Your healthcare provider may also recommend tetanus vaccination.

What are the risks associated with needle stick injuries that have occurred from community exposure?

When a needlestick injury occurs, concerns arise about exposure to blood-borne viruses, particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The risk of getting these viruses via a community needle stick injury is extremely low and can be further reduced with prompt medical attention. If previously vaccinated for hepatitis B, the risk of HBV transmission is virtually zero, and individuals are encouraged to ensure they are up to date on this and other vaccines

The risk of transmission of HIV, HBV and HCV via a needle stick injury acquired in a community setting is far less than in a healthcare setting because:

  • The injury does not occur immediately after needle use.
  • The needle rarely contains fresh blood.
  • Any virus present has been exposed to drying and environmental temperatures.
  • Injuries are usually superficial.
Disposing of sharps in a Needle Drop Box

It is against the law to dispose of needles, glass stems, or other sharps in the garbage or recycling (By-law 2012-370 Schedule G - Prohibited Material).

The Needle Drop Box 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. See the Needle Drop Box Locations map below to find the needle drop box nearest you.

Needle Drop Box Locations
Collecting and returning medical sharp containers to pharmacies

Used needles, syringes and glass stems are prohibited in regular garbage bins. Sharp containers for safely disposing of these items can be collected and returned to pharmacies participating in the Health Products Stewardship Association's free take-back program. Visit the HPSA website to find the nearest participating pharmacy.

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.

For additional resources, please visit the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Health Business Support Toolkit. The toolkit is here to support local businesses and their dedicated employees, with a suite of practical resources designed to enhance safety, health, and overall community well-being.

Integrated strategies to collect discarded needles in our communities

Keeping Ottawa neighbourhoods safe is our collective responsibility. 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 provide safe options for disposing of drug paraphernalia and addressing items that have been improperly discarded.

A woman pointing at a map of Ottawa The Needle Hunters – Daily crews patrol the communities of Lowertown, Sandy Hill, Centertown, Somerset W, Hintonburg, Carlington and Vanier to retrieve needles that have been discarded in public spaces.
The City of Ottawa logo City of Ottawa staff – With the coordinated support of several City departments, City staff respond to requests for needle retrieval anywhere on City property with a priority response. Residents can request this service by calling 3-1-1.
A needle drop box Needle drop boxes – With over 80 24/7 publicly accessible locations across the city, needle drop boxes make disposing of needles easy and safe
Illustrations of health works

Harm reduction services and partner agencies – Dedicated to people who use drugs, approximately 30 agencies across the city are available to collect needles and other drug paraphernalia.

 

 A sharps container

Household Hazardous Waste Depots – Hosting multiple events throughout the year, Household Hazardous Waste Depots collect all kinds of waste that cannot be collected in the regular waste stream, including medical sharps, and drug paraphernalia.

 

Sharps kits are available to equip those individuals with the appropriate tools and training to reinforce personal safety while retrieving needles and drug paraphernalia.

Monitoring community needs and program effectiveness

Estimated number of needles retrieved
 

Ottawa Public Health consults with a variety of community partners including residents, people with lived experience, harm reduction partners and City departments to discuss local needs, community concerns, and retrieval sources/data to ensure the program’s effectiveness. 

General considerations

Ottawa Public Health retrieves needles and other drug paraphernalia through multiple collection streams. Various streams use different mechanisms for recording the number of needles collected including by count, weight, and visual estimate. The data represents an estimate of the number of needles collected.

The following table represents the estimated total number of needles retrieved by each collection stream per year. 

Estimated number of needles retrieved
Needle retrieval stream 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

City staff and residents

3,000

3,000

4,000 8,700 16,800

Needle Hunters

18,000

27,000

32,000 33,000 35,200

Household Hazardous Waste*

158,000

197,000

150,000   206,000 139,800

Harm Reduction Program and partner agencies

693,000

774,000

 737,000 1,128,500

1,143,111

Needle Drop Boxes*

1,162,000

1,460,000

1,101,000  1,070,000 1,251,300

*The number of needles collected by Needle Drop Boxes and Household Hazardous Waste Depots are estimates based on weight and are impacted by factors such as refuse being collected alongside the sharps materials.

Working with individuals who use needles

Ottawa Public Health operates the Harm Reduction Program that provides sterile injection and inhalation devices to promote safer drug use practices. 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 safely dispose of needles, sharps containers and other biohazards; as well as provide general health information and connect people to community supports.

For more information please visit the Harm Reduction Program webpage.

Contact Us