Used Needles Found At Memorial Park In Ingersoll

Friday, 5 July 2019 17:59

A picture was posted on a local Facebook group showing the exposed needles. The OPP were called and they gathered the needles and properly disposed of them.

INGERSOLL - Used needles were found on the ground in Memorial Park in Ingersoll.

A picture was posted on a local Facebook group, showing the exposed needles that were discovered early this morning.

Southwestern Public Health Nurse Lisa Gillespie says there are some safe ways of disposing of it.

"So the steps would include putting on a pair of gloves if you have them, that could include garden gloves if you have them. It's best to use some tongs so if you have tongs or pliers or something to use to pick up the needle. When picking it up, you never want to recap a needle. That's the highest risked time of getting an injury is when you're trying to recap the needle, so when you pick up the needle or syringe with the tongs you want it to be the pointy-end down. Before you pick up the syringe you want to gather a hard-sided container such as a peanut butter jar or you can come to Southwestern Public Health and we have retrieval kits that have sharp containers, and then you put the pointy-end down first and then just drop the syringe into the jar and put the lid on it."

The Woodstock Police also have some advice to anyone who comes across any exposed needles on the ground.

Community Service Officer Shaylyn Jackson says there are services available.

"So if people are finding used needles in public places, they should immediately report it to the Public Works department or to the police service so that they're able to dispose of them appropriately and avoid anyone getting hurt or coming in contact with them."

Gillespie says it's important for parents to talk to their children about used syringes so that they're aware of what's going on around them.

In addition to the picture being posted online, the OPP were called and they gathered the needles and properly disposed of them.