Mungindi Safety First Service for Needles and Syringes

Sharps users in Mungindi now have a convenient location to dispose of their sharps safely in a newly mounted yellow safety bin on the NSW side of the footbridge at Mungindi.

The bin was installed after Council was approached by the Mungindi Crime Prevention Committee to address community safety with the increasing number of discarded sharps.

Moree Plains Shire Council’s Acting Waste Manager Tahra Sayers said the access to the free disposal service will benefit many people who rely on using needles, syringes and finger prick lancets to maintain their own health or that of a family member, as well as people providing animal healthcare to their pets or livestock.

“People with medical conditions requiring self-injection in the home (such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or renal failure) require a safe place to discard their needles and syringes. The availability of the new disposal facility is an important way to actively encourage both residents and visitors to the community to safely dispose of their community sharps,” said Mrs Sayers.

With more people treating themselves in the home, Mrs Sayers said people should ensure their community sharps are always kept secure and separate from other wastes.

“Needles, syringes, and other equipment such as finger prick lancets that are used to treat medical conditions in the home should be placed into community sharps bins or other disposal services provided by public hospitals and now available on the approach to the footbridge.”

If you find a syringe in a public place help protect your community by calling the Needle Clean-Up Hotline on 1800 633 353 or contact Council on (02) 6757 3222.

While the risk of acquiring a serious infection as a result of an accidental injury from a community sharp is extremely low, the anxiety resulting from such an injury can be significant.