Discarded needles and needle debris are a challenging issue for many communities. There are various reasons people use needles, whether for specific health conditions or people dealing with addiction. We are committed to working with the Region of Waterloo to help ensure that our residents have access to safe disposal for needles and that needle debris is cleaned up safely and efficiently. 

I found a needle, what do I do?

If you find a discarded needle anywhere in the city (public and private property), you can contact the City of Cambridge:

We will coordinate pickup and disposal.

Steps for safe needle disposal

If you find a needle on your property and feel comfortable disposing of it yourself, follow the steps below to pick up the needle safely: 

  1. Put on gloves (latex, vinyl, garden) to protect yourself from fluid contamination.
  2. Bring a puncture-proof, sealable container to the site of the needle and place on a flat surface. Sharps containers are available at and can be returned to Region of Waterloo Public Health (150 Main St., Cambridge).
  3. Pick up the needle with tongs or tweezers by the middle of the plastic tube with the sharp end facing down. If there are multiple needles, pick them up one at a time. 
  4. Place the needle in the container sharp end first and close the container tightly.
  5. Remove gloves and wash your hands with warm water and soap or use hand sanitizer.
  6. Bring the container to a 24-hour safe sharps disposal bin located outdoors at any of the two Cambridge locations: Region of Waterloo Public Health (150 Main St.), Simcoe House (159 Ainslie St.)

Read more about safe needle disposal.

Region of Waterloo services

The Region of Waterloo provides sharp disposal bins in Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge located at:

  • 150 Main St., Cambridge - Region of Waterloo Public Health
  • 159 Ainslie St., Cambridge - Simcoe House
  • 659 King St. E., Kitchener - Ray of Hope Community Centre
  • 99 Regina St. S., Waterloo - Region of Waterloo Public Health

Needle syringe services

Needle syringe services are run by the Region of Waterloo, and needles are given out through Public Health. Visit the Region of Waterloo website for more information.