Safer Needle Disposal
Needles and other sharps are medical objects that can pierce the skin. Sharps should always be disposed of safely. If you come across a discarded sharp, don’t panic: Put safety first and know your options.
Before you do anything, take care to avoid an injury. Don’t handle a sharp with your bare hands. If you’re injured by a sharp, taking immediate action can reduce potential health risks. Remember: The risk of getting HIV from a sharp found in a non-medical community setting is already very low.
How To Dispose of Needles Safely
Sharps found on public property, like parks and sidewalks, can be reported to and recovered by the City of London. Visit service.london.ca or call 519.661.4965.
For legal reasons, residents and business owners are responsible for recovering sharps on private property. Residents and business owners can receive a free sharps disposal kit to help them safely dispose of sharps on their private property. For information on how to request a Sharps Disposal Kit and where to find Stationary Needle Bins, visit london.ca/needles.
If you are recovering sharps on private property and do not have a specialized sharps container:
- Find a puncture-proof container with a secure lid, like an empty plastic bottle or jug. Don’t hold the container in your hand: Place it down next to the sharp.
- Wear gloves to pick up the sharp with tongs or pliers, keeping the sharpest part pointed away from you. Drop the sharp point-first into the open container. Secure the lid and label the container: “CAUTION: SHARPS.” Wash hands thoroughly.
- Find a Stationary Needle Bin to dispose of the container at: London.ca/needles. If using a Disposal Kit from the City, this should also be disposed of at a Needle Bin.
Counterpoint Needle + Syringe Program
Sharps containers can be obtained from Counterpoint Needle Exchange. Used sharps can be dropped off to the Counterpoint Needle Exchange or placed in one of the stationary needle bins.
446 York Street, London, ON, N6B 1R2
519.434.1601
Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
In London, ON, you can find needle disposal bins here:
- 580 Dundas Street – LMHC
- 130 King Street – Covent Garden Market, Market Lane
- Forks of the Thames
- 446 York Street
- 241 Simcoe Street – LMHC
- Victoria Park
- Bathurst Street at Clarence Street
- Bathurst Street at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope
- Municipal Parking Lot – Queens Avenue and Adelaide Street North
- Municipal Parking Lot – Queens Avenue and Lyle Street
- Campbell Park
- Municipal Parking Lot – King Street and Adelaide Street North (near Tolpuddle Housing Co-op)
- Piccadilly Park
- Watson Park
- Harris Park (bandshell)
- Carfrae Park (at Ridout St)
- McMahen Park
- Queens Park
- CNRA Park
- Under York Street Overpass
- Bathurst Street at Clarence Street
- Parkette at Richmond Street and Horton Street East
Questions?
We’re here to help.
Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) works alongside our community, including people who use drugs, to keep us all safer. Harm reduction services in our community, such as the Needle Syringe Program, allow people who use drugs to access sterile sharps and dispose of them safely. In one year, our harm reduction services recovered 544,483 used sharps. Learn more about how the Needle Syringe Program serves our community at healthunite.com/needle-exchange.
If you have further questions about safe needle disposal, don’t hesitate to contact our Harm Reduction Outreach Team:
gear@hivaidsconnection.ca
519.851.3548
Hours: Monday-Friday: 9 am-5pm
Contact
To report needles in the City of London, visit the Service London portal or call 519.661.4965.
This phone number is answered 24 hours / day, 7 days / week.