Safe Sharps
Safe Sharps was announced as the Division and overall winner of the Community Sharps Management Award at the 2011 Local Government Excellence in the Environment Awards held in Sydney on 29 November 2011. Further information on the Awards can be found on the LGSA website.
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Sharps users will now find it much easier to dispose of their used sharps safely with the launch of the Safe Sharps project by the NSW Minister for Health, Hon Jillian Skinner MP, at Parliament House on 13 July 2011.
Safe Sharps has been developed by REROC and funded by through the Community Sharps Management Grants program which is an initiative of the NSW Department of Health and the Local Government and Shires’ Association.
The aim of the Safe Sharps’ project is to assist sharps' users to easily find approved sharps' disposal locations so that used sharps can be properly and safely disposed of.
A web-based service, www.safesharps.org.au is an interactive and dynamic site that allows sharps' users to identify locations where used sharps can be disposed of appropriately. The website is linked to Google maps allowing users to easily plot locations. The information can also be accessed via iPhone™ and iPad™ and mobile web.
Cr Paul Braybrooks OAM, REROC Chairman said “the site is an exciting development. It harnesses the latest technologies to address a growing problem for many councils; finding used sharps in the municipal waste or in household recycling bins. Access to the site and the supporting applications is free of charge and we are hoping that people across the State will take up the opportunity to locate their nearest safe sharps disposal point.”
The project is supported by the Australian Diabetes Council and REROC has been working closely with the Council to identify locations that are safe sharps' disposal sites; this includes pharmacies, hospitals, community health and public facility locations.
Currently there are over 500 NSW safe sharps locations held on the site and it is expected that this will grow as more information is made available by councils, providers and consumers. Consumers are able to upload information on locations.
Cr Braybrooks said “consumers are able to upload information on safe sharps locations via their smart phone, iPad or through the website. They can also report information that is inaccurate. It is through this interactivity that the site will remain up to date and relevant. We also anticipate that it will also result in the site expanding beyond NSW.”
For further information and copies of the promotional materials, please click here