Needles and syringes on public land

Discarded hypodermic needles and syringes are extremely dangerous and could cause injury or infection. If you find a needle or syringe on public land or our premises then it should be reported immediately to us.

Please report any discarded needles or syringes immediately. We have staff who are trained to safely remove and dispose of discarded needles or syringes. Do not put yourself or others at risk:

• Do not handle the needle or syringe with your bare hands
• Keep the needle or syringe out of reach of children
• Do not put the needle or syringe in a dustbin, down a drain, down a toilet or in a litter bin

Immediately contact your doctor or nearest Accident and Emergency department for medical advice and treatment if you suffer an injury from a discarded needle or syringe.

Reporting discarded needles and syringes during office hours 

To report any needles or syringes discarded on public land or our premises, contact us.

We will ask you for the following information:

• Your contact details
• The exact location of the needle or syringe (for example, the name of the park, or nearest lamp post and street name)

What to do if you find a needle outside normal office hours

All reports of discarded needles are treated as urgent. If you tell us between Monday and Friday, we will try to arrange collection the same day. We can only take reports of discarded needles during normal office hours. However if you find needles outside office hours that need removing urgently because they're a danger to children or vulnerable people, please do the following:

• Make sure you wear disposable gloves
• Use tweezers to pick up the item
• Place the discarded needle/s in a glass bottle or jar
• Put in a safe place locked away
• Ask us to collect the bottle for disposal

Please note that we don't search houses or any other properties for needles or syringes.

Needles and syringes on private land

On private ground, including private houses and commercial properties, it is the responsibility of the occupier or owner to remove and dispose of discarded needles and syringes found on their property.