A Wagga mother was left fuming after the harrowing discovery of two used needles in her front garden this week.
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Sally-anne Smith is the latest resident to join the outcry of horrified parents across the city, following the shock find on Monday morning.
The shameless discarding of potentially contaminated needles has raised serious concerns across the past 12 months, with the hazardous waste being found in public parks and gardens where children play.
Ms Smith said shooting up in communal spaces was bad enough, but this incident hit too close to home.
“I don’t care what these people do in their own time,” Ms Smith said. “But do it in your own home.”
The mother-of-five took to Facebook to share a warning to other parents and raise awareness about the correct way to get rid of dirty needles.
“I just put them in my garbage bin because I didn’t want to leave them where my two-year-old could touch them,” Ms Smith said.
“But I had no idea what to do … others would be the same.”
She said any of her children could have come outside, picked up the needles and taken off the cap, without even knowing what they were.
Ms Smith said a simple prick could change your entire life.
Ms Smith had been removing a strange plank of wood in her garden when her friend spotted the numbers on the syringes and pointed them out.
“I didn’t even see them,” Ms Smith said.
“I went ballistic … I was going off … I was yelling so loud my neighbours heard me from inside.”
She didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if her two-year-old had been pricked.
But it is a nightmare Wagga father Darryl Kelly said he had lived through more than 20 years ago, when his six-year-old daughter had pricked her finger, while playing in leaves outside her Ashmont home.
“We went through hell making her get blood tests once a month for six months to make sure she didn't contract Hep B or Hep C,” Mr Kelly said.
“It was a bloody awful thing to go through because of some dirty junkie.”
Anyone who finds a needle or syringe in a public space is urged to call Wagga City Council or the Needle Clean-up Hotline on 1800 633 353 to have them safely removed.
Anybody who suffers a needle stick incident is urged to:
- Clean the area immediately and wash the wound with soap and water.
- Contact a healthcare provider as soon as possible to have the adequate blood tests undertaken.
- Report the location of the used syringe to council or a disposal service.
Visit Wagga City Council website for needle and syringe disposal information.
