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Home Page > Environment and Planning > Street care and cleaning > Needles and syringes
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Needles and syringes

 

Melton Borough Council will remove hypodermic needles or syringes from an adopted highway, or from land owned by the Council. To enable this to be done, the exact location of the item(s) must be given. This service does include the removal of sharps boxes from domestic properties. Sharp boxes can be obtained from the local doctors surgery.

 

 

FAQs

 

I am a diabetic. Will you collect the syringes I use? 

 

Yes, if your local clinic does not offer this service for you, please contact us on 01664 502502 to enable us to add you to our collection round.

 

How often does a collection take place?

 

We will collect your sharp boxes every three months. When a collection is due to take place, you will receive a telephone call asking you if you require the service and advising you of the scheduled collection date.

 

I have seen a needle/syringe in the street. What do I do? 

 

Call Customer Services on 01664 502502 and we will arrange for someone to remove it.

 

You should only remove needles and syringes yourself if absolutely necessary and you should follow these guidelines:

  1. First go and find a suitable container. Try to get a rigid plastic container with a screw-top lid to place the needle or syringe in.
  2. Place something protective on your hands such as rubber or gardening gloves.
  3. If you have to pick them up with your hands, or you are using something like tweezers, pick them up by the blunt end.
  4. DO NOT carry the needle or syringe.  Place the sharp end into the container first.  Make sure the container is tightly sealed.
  5. The container must be disposed of in a special way. To arrange this contact Customer Services .
  6. Wash whatever you have used to handle the items in antiseptic detergent.
  7. DO NOT panic or be worried.
  8. DO NOT use glass bottles to contain the needle or syringe as they may shatter, or aluminium cans as they may be squashed.
  9. DO NOT touch the needle or syringe. If you can, sweep them onto a dustpan with a brush or use something like tweezers or tongs to pick them up.
  10. DO NOT touch the sharp point with your hands.
  11. You can place more than one needle or syringe in a container but do not overfill.
  12. DO NOT place the container in the regular waste, down the toilet or a drain.
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