General News
14 April, 2026
Used syringes pose risk
A PROLIFERATION of discarded syringes is causing concern as the dangerous items are strewn across parks, playgrounds and in other public areas, putting people at increasing risk of being spiked.
What started as a well-intended Queensland Health strategy to lessen the impact of drug users contracting diseases by use of cross-contaminated or shared needles is now creating real problems in the greater community.
The siting of free drug needle banks outside hospitals has resulted in increasing numbers of used sharps appearing – not in proper sharps disposal bins, but around streets, on sporting ovals and other public areas.
One local couple who walk the Bicentennial Park circuit in Mareeba has found up to eight improperly discarded needles in one morning, all of which they picked up and disposed properly in a sharps bin.
One Mareeba CBD business operator, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was astounded by the number of needles and sharps left lying discarded in and around the main business precinct.
“You would be naive to the extreme if you thought that only insulin dependent diabetics used the free needles services offered at the hospital,” she said.
“They can be found regularly discarded in gardens and alleyways, behind shops and in other ‘shooting galleries’ areas along Railway Avenue.
“What the Queensland Health Department doesn’t realise is that many of the people using the needles for illegal and illicit purposes do so in a state of diminished capabilities.
“With that comes diminished responsibility when it comes to disposing of the needles once they use them, and that’s where the problems start with members of the public being exposed to risks of being spiked.
“You have to feel sorry for the council staff who regularly ‘do the rounds’ of playgrounds picking up the discarded needles left around the town and down by the Barron River.”
Mareeba Shire Council has confirmed crews remove needles in parks and playgrounds during regular scheduled maintenance which, depending on the location, may be once a week to once a fortnight.
“In the last 10 months, 612 separate needles and 46 sharps containers have been collected by council’s parks and gardens crew, averaging around 60 needles a month,” a spokesperson said.
“Council officers are not the only people collecting needles in the community, so it is difficult to estimate the correct number.
“The increase of wrongful disposal of sharps is reported as a growing problem across all of Australia.
“Mareeba Shire Council recently supported a community training session on the safe disposal of discarded sharps for community organisations.
“If a member of the public comes into contact and is accidently injured by a used needle in the community, it is important they wash the area thoroughly and seek medical advice immediately.
“The risk of catching a serious infection from an accidental needle stick injury is very low because viruses do not survive long outside of the body, however it is vital to follow up with a health provider or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).
Mareeba Shire has installed 18 yellow needles/sharps bins at a number of parks and toilets in Kuranda and Mareeba.
In the Tablelands region, discarded syringes are also a constant problem, particularly around the Priors Creek area and the Atherton Showgrounds, where locals have reported picking up the items on a daily basis.
While Tablelands Regional Council said it was not aware of any “shooting galleries” in the area, a spokesperson acknowledged that the problem had increased over the past year or two.
“Unfortunately, this appears to be a growing problem in many Australian jurisdictions, small and large,” he said.
“Tablelands Regional Council staff are required to follow a clear safety alert procedure that includes notifying facilities staff who will arrange for a suitably qualified contractor to remove and safely dispose of the sharps/needles in an appropriate sharps container.
“Some TRC Parks and Gardens, Local Laws, Roads Maintenance, Water and Waste staff members are also trained in sharps handling to allow them to promptly deal with sharps they find in the course of their duties.
“Public open space is maintained regularly, the maintenance frequency generally ranging from daily to fortnightly.
“As an example, TRC maintains 37 playgrounds across the region, and it would be impossible to inspect and clean all of them daily.
“TRC asks the public to help by promptly reporting any sharps in public areas and especially playgrounds to council.
“Also, parents should keep an eye out for hazards that may be present in playgrounds; if there are obvious signs of recent antisocial activity.”
The council has dedicated sharps disposal wheelie bins, where full yellow containers of sharps can be disposed of at the Atherton Transfer station and yellow sharps containers are available for public use at 17 TRC locations.
Oval sharps scare
REGULAR training sessions were suspended at a well-used Mareeba sports oval recently after improperly discarded needles and drug paraphernalia were found.
A spokesperson for the sporting group said: “Thanks to recent Mareeba Shire Council sessions for sporting groups and the community on how to deal with such incidents, we reported this to the council, and the items were removed promptly and disposed of properly.
“Due to public safety and our standing protocols, pre-training inspections are being undertaken every time we use the park in the interests of safety.
“None (syringes) have been found since, and safe training at the oval has resumed and we are monitoring closely as a matter of precaution.”
