Safe Needle Disposal

Needles and needle debris are a challenging issue for the City of Edmonton, however Edmonton is not alone. Strategies to ensure that individuals and communities are as safe and healthy as possible have been undertaken across the globe.

Needles are used by people with specific health conditions and people with specific addictions. Ensuring that people who use needles can access safe disposal, and that stray needles and needle debris in the community are dealt with promptly and safely is one of the goals of Capital City Clean Up.

Handle Needles Safely

• Never put the cap back on a stray needle
• Use gloves and tongs to pick up the needle
• Place in a hard plastic container, tightly seal, and label
• Never put needles down the toilet, drain, sewer, or in the garbage

OR

If you are not comfortable picking up the needle and need more information, call

• City of Edmonton at 311
• Support network at 211
• Fire Rescue Services at 780-496-3900 or 911

When to Call for Help

• If you are too nervous to pick the needle up
• If you see many needles in a pile, for example, in a stairwell or behind a dumpster
• If you see broken needles scattered on the ground
• If you have no way of taking the needle in a strong container to a safe place

Children should NEVER pick up a needle.
Leave it where it is and call an adult for help.

Choices for Disposing of Needles

Safe Needle Disposal Box

• Pharmacies that accept needles.
• Streetworks, a free needle exchange service for injection drug users with four sites and a mobile van.
• Capital City Clean Up, through partnership, organizes placing safe needle boxes in the communities asking for a box.
• City of Edmonton install and empty safe needle boxes.
• Edmonton Police Service support the safe needle boxes.

Disposed needles from Streetworks and the needle boxes end up at Wainwright, Alberta where they are burned.

"Nearly 800,000 needles are exchanged through Streetworks annually."