City of Melfort looking to train, equip staff to deal with high number of discarded needles

The month of August was especially concerning. Steffen said 145 needles were collected throughout the city last month, bringing the total number of sharp pickups to 282 since the start of 2026.

The increase in frequency has prompted the Community Services department to investigate whether the current system of retrieval is sustainable. Until now, the discarded sharps were largely collected by the fire chief.

“We’ve started exploring whether other designated city staff should be trained to safely handle routine needle collection, rather than primarily relying on the fire chief for those calls.”

Steffen said the city’s frontline workers are the ones who encounter discarded needles as part of their regular duties, and the intent is to ensure that they have the knowledge, the training, and the appropriate equipment to safely respond if they see sharps. The cost of equipment for each trained individual would be about $100 each, according to Steffen.

Steffen said residents should not attempt to touch, pick up, or attempt to dispose of discarded needles. When contacting the city about them, residents should indicate whether the sharps pose an immediate safety concern, or if it’s in a high-traffic location, so the city can prioritize and respond appropriately.

“The city’s priority is the safety of both residents and our employees,” said Steffen. “The increase in needle pickups has just highlighted the need for us to have a clear, a consistent, and a sustainable process for responding to these reports.”

She said they plan to equip and train staff members within the next month.

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cam.lee@pattisonmedia.com

by Cam Lee

City of Melfort looking to train, equip staff to deal with high number of discarded needles

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