In a bid improve the safety and maintenance of Walker Crescent Park, a group of service providers and community members had a workshop this week with Andrew Walden from the NSW Health Needle and Syringe Exchange in Dubbo who demonstrated the safe removal of needles, syringes and other sharp items.
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He said that there was still a huge stigma when it came to needles, but for many people with diabetes or other health conditions, they were a part of everyday life and it was important to remove the stigma to help make sure that sharps were being properly disposed of.
Many families with children live near the Walker Crescent Park and while the Lands and Housing Corporation is currently responsible for the maintenance of the park, community members and service providers discussed the possibility of having to maintain it in the future, which is why they organised the workshop.
Mr Walden said that people should also dispose properly of scalpels, scissors, glass, diabetes tests and fish hooks, and that in absence of a sharps container, they could use a plastic bottle to take the items to the sharps disposal at the hospital.
While many organisations have different policies on the removal of sharp items, his advice was to find out what their workplace policy was, adding that people could always call the Needle Clean Up Hotline on 1800 633 353.
