Used syringes found in Moonee Ponds Central car park

Community members in Melbourne’s inner northwest are fearful children will nick themselves walking on dirty syringes left in a popular public car park. 

Used and discarded syringe littered outside Moonee Ponds Coles parking. Photo: Supplied.

Several used and discarded syringes littered outside a popular shopping precinct in Melbourne’s northwest have sparked fears of children stepping on exposed needles and potentially transmitting deadly diseases.

Moonee Valley residents have discovered uncapped, dirty syringes dumped around the carpark of Moonee Ponds Coles on Homer St.

Almost 130 drug use and possession incidents were recorded in Moonee Valley in the year ending September 2023, according the latest crime statistics.

Moonee Ponds resident Mel Monty said encountering dirty syringes on her walk to and from the supermarket was common.

“It’s quite frightening when I see the syringes on the ground especially when I am wearing tongs because I do cut through the garden beds quite a bit to make a shortcut,” she said.

The 44-year-old mum said it was specially terrifying that the children could encounter the dirty syringes on the footpaths.

“It’s scary to think what might happen if the kids see them first and pick them up,” she said.

“The council could be doing more in terms of the upkeep and being on top of it instead of just responding to reports.”

Empty bottles of alcohol littered around bushes. Picture: Himangi Singh

Empty alcohol bottles, cigarette butts and an empty jar of prescription medicine next to what looked like a makeshift tourniquet were also scattered in the bushes, when the Herald Sun visited on Wednesday.

A local resident who worked at a store in Moonee Ponds Central but wished to stay anonymous said he had on several occasion found dirty syringes thrown around.

“I skateboard to and from work and often find them on the roads,” he said.

An empty prescription bottle lay in the bushes. Picture: Himangi Singh

It comes after one local took to social media warning the community to stay vigilante when walking around the popular shopping precinct.

“Watch your step and (your) kids around Moonee Ponds Coles car park. A number of used syringes spotted this morning,” the person wrote.

Used and dirty needles contain traces of blood and other bodily fluids and can spread infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis.

Cr Pierce Tyson – Mayor of Moonee Valley. Photo: supplied.

Moonee Valley mayor Pierce Tyson asked the community to not touch dumped syringes and instead report the hazard to the council to arrange a collection.

“Used syringes that are dumped are deemed litter. If this occurs on privately owned land, council can issue the owner or occupier a notice to comply, requiring them to collect the dumped syringes,” he said.

“We offer a syringe collection service and have a syringe disposal chute located at the Civic Centre. There are also syringe disposal units in all public toilets in Moonee Valley.”

However, Mr Tyson said council did not conduct specific cleanups exclusively for discarded syringes unless requested but clarified that council cleaners included the removal of dirty syringes as part of their routine litter sweeps.

“When a community member or a council team member encounters syringes on council land, we respond to the service request to manually dispose of the syringe as soon as possible,” he said.

The Victorian Health Department urged anyone with needle stick injuries to immediately flush the injured area with flowing water, wash it with soapy water, pat it dry and cover it before seeing a doctor.

If you come across a syringe in a public space, report it immediately by calling 9243 8888 or click here.