The City of Lethbridge is reminding residents to properly dispose of hazardous materials after seeing an increase in the number of needles found in recycling carts.
“Hazardous materials such as needles can pose a risk to staff as well as our waste collection operators. Needles should never be placed in your blue recycling cart and need to be disposed of properly,” reads a news release from the city.
Needles should be disposed of in labelled sharps containers, which can be taken to pharmacies participating in the ENVIRx program. A list of participating locations can be found online.
They can also be dropped off at the waste and recycling centre if they are in a sealed, labelled container for sharps. There are also 20 needle disposal boxes around the city and all the locations can be found online.
Residents can also contact 311 if they are unsure how to dispose of an item.
