THE improper dumping of about 1000 syringes at Gissing Oval - the home of soccer in Wagga - is being investigated by Wagga City Council.
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The syringes, along with other medical waste, were discovered by a council employee in a public bin at the oval in the middle of regular rubbish removal operations at the venue.
Football Wagga president Erwin Budde says he's disappointed that someone would put the safety of the oval's users at risk in such a careless manner - but he's not surprised at the incident.
While the amount of medical waste dumped was unusually large in scale, it's not the first time syringes have been found at Gissing Oval this season, with needles found on the playing surface just a couple of weeks ago.
"I want to encourage anyone who is using these sort of things to think about what they're doing when they dispose of the syringes," Mr Budde said.
"Try to dispose of them responsibly and away from places where we know our kids play and have fun."
Mr Budde said the find was "clearly a safety concern", with more than 200 children training on Gissing Oval during the week and the ground normally playing host to a full card of games on Saturdays and Sundays, and the ground's security should be reassessed.
"I know council don't like to lock it because it's a public ground - even if they did it wouldn't be hard to get into," he said.
"I think we can have a look at security arrangements and see if it's the most appropriate policy to have."
Council manager of environment and recreation services Mark Gardiner was unavailable for comment yesterday, but in a statement condemned the dumping of medical waste.
"The inappropriate disposal of sharps is a serious incident and a timely reminder to people about the correct disposal method for sharps," he said.
"The disposal of sharps into public bins or other public infrastructure such as sewer and stormwater systems is a major concern as it increases the risk of council staff and the community being exposed to needle stick injury and potential disease."
A Wagga City Council spokesman was unable to provide more detail on the investigation yesterday, other than to say it was in progress, but it is understood police are not involved.
Syringes and needles can be safely dropped off at several points around Wagga, including the Community Health Centre, Wagga Base Hospital's outpatient entry, Diabetes Australia and local pharmacies.
Anyone who finds a needle or syringe in a public place around Wagga should call council on 1300 292 442 to get a trained staff member to dispose of it safely.