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Safe needle disposal

How to safely dispose of needles (syringes)

Our Safe Needle Disposal Toolkit will provide you with all of the information required to safely pick-up and dispose of needles.

If you see a discarded needle, you can safely pick it up by following these steps:

  1. Find a hard, non-breakable container that needles cannot poke through with a screw-on or tight fitting lid (examples, rigid detergent bottle, bleach bottle).
    • Do not use glass containers as they can easily break.
    • Do not use light plastic containers or a milk carton as the needles could poke through.
    • Some pharmacies are part of the “Take It Back” Ontario Sharps Collection program and may provide a sharps container free-of-charge.
  2. Put the container on a stable surface next to the sharp.
    • Do not hold the container in your hand when placing the sharp inside.
    • Do not touch the sharp with your bare hand.
      Find a hard, non-breakable container with a tight fitting lid.
  3. Use tongs or pliers to pick up the needle by the plastic end (not the sharp end), with the needle pointing away from your body.
    • Do not try to put the cap back on the needle.
      Use tongs or pliers to pick up the needle by the plastic end.
  4. Place the needle, sharp end first, into your sharps container.
    • Do not force the needle into the container.
      Place the needle, sharp end first, into your container.
  5. Tightly seal the lid (use duct tape if you have it).
  6. Label your container as “sharps” and store it far out of reach of children.
    Tightly seal the lid and label your container as "sharps".
  7. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
  8. Take your container to a safe needle disposal location:

Public Health Sudbury & Districts

City of Greater Sudbury

For more information

Contact The Point (harm reduction supplies and services).

This item was last modified on December 18, 2024