Syringes and Needle Exchanges

Syringes

If you find discarded syringes in a public place report them immediately to Client Services on 01386 565018.  Under normal circumstances they will be collected within 1 hour.  You should NOT remove needles or syringes yourself.  Alternatively you can fill in our on-line form.

Due to the danger of needle stick injuries, needles and syringes should not be disposed of in the refuse collection.  This presents a serious hazard to people collecting or handling the refuse.

Needle Disposal

Where a person treats themselves in their home, it is their responsibility to dispose of any clinical waste in a responsible way.  This should be by using a sharps bin and taking this to a disposal point.  The nearest disposal points to the Wychavon area are:

• Alexandra Hospital, Woodrow Drive, Redditch
• Community Hospital, Waterside, Evesham
• Boots Chemist, High St, Pershore.

Sharps bins are plastic containers designed for the safe disposal of hazardous waste. Sharps bins are available on prescription from your doctor.  They can take needles, empty syringes, empty insulin cartridges and lancets.  Some patients use ‘B-D safe clip’ devices to remove the needle from the syringe.  This does not need to be done if the needle and syringe are put straight into the sharps bin.

Where patients are prescribed sharps boxes by their GP they can take the full boxes back to their GP for disposal provided the practice is registered with the Environment Agency to accept this waste.

Needle Exchanges

Turning Point Worcestershire Druglink provides free and confidential services for people concerned about their own, or someone else's drug use.  This includes support for drug users, their family and friends and young people affected by their parents' or carers' drug use.  For full details of the services provided by Turning Point please see the Turning Point website.

Exchange Points

Turning Point provides needle exchange points at the following locations:

35 Foregate Street, Worcester WR1 1DB
Telephone: 01905 724853.
Helpline: 0800 6529664
Fax: 01905 612168

64 High Street, Evesham
Telephone 01386 444380
Open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings only

Contact Details

For general information please contact

Client Services
Wychavon District Council
Telephone: 01386 565018 between 9am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.
Email: client.services@wychavon.gov.uk

Alternatively use our online Syringe Reporting form.