Safe Needle Disposal and Retrieval

If you have located a needle on city, public or private property and wish to report it, please click here to access our online needle reporting tool.

Safety measures to picking up a needle:

• Put on gloves, open the lid of your sharps container and place the container on a flat surface near the site of the needle. If you do not have a sharps container, use a thick-walled, unbreakable container with a lid, like a thick plastic bleach bottle or an empty paint can.
• Using tongs, pick up the needle with the sharp end pointing down and away from you. If the needle has a cap, don’t try to put it back on.
• Place the needle with the sharp end pointing down into the sharps container, and put any additional items such as a cap or wrapper in the container as well. Close the lid tightly.
• After removing your gloves, wash your hands with soap and warm water or use hand sanitizer.
• Dispose of the needle in its container at the following 24-hour needle drop boxes:
  • Brant County Health Unit- 194 Terrace Hill St.
  • St. Leonard’s Community Services – 133 Elgin Street and 225 Fairview Drive
  • Adjacent to Hope Pharmacy – 349 Colborne Street
  • Brant Crossing Park – 150 Icomm Drive
  • Beside Brantford Civic Centre – 69-79 Market Street
• Dispose of the needle in its container at the following needle drop boxes during business hours:
  • Towards Recovery – 95 Darling St., Brantford

If you are accidentally poked with a needle:

• Let the wound bleed freely for 10 seconds
• Wash the poke site with soap and water
• Apply a bandage to the poke site
• Go to the hospital right away

Community needle sweeps

• Community needle sweeps are happening monthly in areas of need. If you would like to participate, please contact HREP@bchu.org.

1. Put your needles in a strong puncture-proof container made of heavy plastic, with a narrow opening and a screw-on lid, such as a bleach bottle. You can also get a container from any pharmacy that participates in the Ontario Sharps Collection Program (OSCP). Dispose of the container at one of the following locations or return to the pharmacy.
2. Take the container to a 24-hour needle drop box located at:
   • Brant County Health Unit- 194 Terrace Hill St. Brantford
   • St. Leonard’s – 225 Fairview Dr. or 133 Elgin St. Brantford
   • Beside Grand River Community Health Centre – 349 Colborne St. Brantford
   • Brant Crossing Park – 150 Icomm Dr. Brantford
   • Beside Brantford Civic Centre – 69-79 Market St. Brantford
   • St. Andrews Church- 95 Darling St. (Bin located at the rear of the building, in parking lot)
   • Brantford Public Library – 173 Colborne St. Brantford
   • Shallow Creek Trail – Newport Street and East Avenue Brantford
   • Salvation Army Booth Centre – 187 Dalhousie St. Brantford
   • Iroquois Street Brantford
   • Syl Apps Community Centre – 51 William St. Paris

Visit the Health Products Stewardship Association website and enter your postal code for an OSCP location near you.

Call the Brant County Health Unit at 519-753-4937 if you plan to lead a community clean up event where needles might be found. We offer support on the needs of your event, including education on how to safely pick up used needles discarded in the community.

• Safe Needle Disposal Poster