ABOUT

In 2019, Waste Resource Association of Nova Scotia (WRANS) launched the Don’t Be a Prick Campaign. The purpose of the original campaign was to show the safety risks that sharps pose to the people who handle and sort our waste once it leaves the curb. To demonstrate these safety risks, our team visited the Colchester Materials Recovery Facility in Kemptown, NS and on location in Truro, NS to showcase front-line waste workers and put human faces to the problem of unsafe sharps disposal.

In 2022, we decided to expand the campaign. We asked community members about their experiences encountering sharps in public spaces to help raise awareness about the impact of improper disposal. We spoke with a mother who encountered a sharp while at a playground with her son, a litter clean-up volunteer who encountered a sharp while cleaning the beach, and a custodian who was pricked at work while replacing a recycling bag. Improper disposal of sharps affects all of us. Dispose of every needle safely, every time. Help keep our communities safer for everyone, contact your local municipality to learn about proper sharps disposal in your area.

RESOURCES

pharmacy association of Nova Scotia

For your safety and the safety of others: Sharps should only be placed in a Safe Sharps Container. Safe Sharps containers are free across the province and can be obtained at any pharmacy.

Social media

Our mission is to help educate residents about safe disposal of sharps in an effort to help reduce the number of needle stick injuries and near misses encountered by solid waste workers. Please feel free to share these educational resources to help spread awareness.

Sharps safety information sheet

A printer-friendly information sheet about sharps and sharp safety, including what to do if you get pricked. A great addition to a workplace toolbox talk!

We welcome the distribution of promotional material and resources created by Don’t Be a Prick. However, we do not allow material to be edited or altered in any way, including adding additional logos and information, editing text, colouring, or logos.

Use of Don’t Be a Prick materials should be accompanied by the URL www.dontbeaprick.org and hashtag #DontBeAPrick.