How the RTA manages community sharps in public toilets
Community sharps disposal bins provided in public toilets by local councils are typically wall
mounted 1.4 litre units made from mild steel that hold an Australian Standards sharps
container and are designed for disposal of single syringes. They are often subject to
vandalism, including being torn from the wall, and this is a common reason given by some
council facilities managers for not providing these units, even when there is evidence that
injecting is consistently taking place in, or near the toilets.
The system used by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) discourages vandalism of
community sharps disposal facilities in public toilets and also minimises the risk of injury to
maintenance workers and members of the public. This system may not be suited to many
older council toilet blocks, but can be easily retro-fitted in public toilets that have a separate
service area, and should definitely be considered when designing new facilities or upgrading
existing public toilet blocks.
The RTA disposal units were developed and trialled around 1994 in southern NSW, and were
first installed at the Wheatley VC rest area site at Lake George on the Federal Highway
between Goulburn and Canberra. At that time the RTA was in the process of developing fully
serviced public toilets at roadside rest areas, including remote sites, where experience had
shown that vandalism would be a significant problem. The RTA needed an interior design for
its public toilets that was essentially “bomb proof” in order to provide the safest possible
environment for its maintenance workers and the public who used the facilities. Provision of
sharps disposal units in each toilet cubicle was recognised as the best way to encourage the
responsible disposal of community sharps by people who needed to self-inject to treat a
medical condition, as well as injecting drug users.
Combined with the use of high impact resistant materials such as stainless steel for toilet
bowls and wash basins, the RTA design criteria requires the recessing of all vulnerable wall
mounted fixtures, including community sharps disposal bins.
Community sharps disposal facility at the Medowie Road rest area north of Newcastle
The syringe disposal chute is accessed from a small wall plate containing an opening to a 30
mm ID stainless steel disposal pipe that can accommodate syringes up to 5 ml in size. The
pipe extends through the cubicle wall at an angle sufficient to overcome friction and maintain
the momentum of the syringe, and discharges into a wall mounted sharps container in the
adjacent service area (velcro straps can be used to keep the container securely in place).
The disposal chute is unobtrusive and does not tend to draw attention to the presence of
community sharps (and invite vandalism) in the same way that a wall-mounted sharps bin
does. NSW Health now recommends using the words “Community Sharps Disposal” on wall
plates in rest area toilets to promote the safe disposal of materials such as insulin pen
needles and finger prick lancets as well as syringes.
Stainless steel tray and sharps container in an adjacent service area that is not accessible to the public
The RTA utilises 1.4 litre sharps containers and the design allows for the remaining capacity
of the containers to be easily and safely checked by maintenance staff without the need to
open a series of wall-mounted steel sharps container (see specification sheets SDU1/A1 and
SDU1/A2 for more information). If required the design of the tray can be modified to
accommodate a larger sharps container, including containers with an offset opening, which
will extend the period before a replacement sharps container is required.
Some minor maintenance is still required, such as the clearing of blockages and deliberate
obstructions from the disposal chute (a steel rod is recommended for this purpose), but costly
replacement of vandalised disposal bins and community concern associated with this type of
anti-social behaviour is avoided. The RTA experience has demonstrated that community
sharps disposal chutes are a low maintenance, safe and user-friendly alternative to wallmounted community sharps disposal bins in public toilets. The RTA is continuing to
implement its policy of providing community sharps disposal facilities in all toilet cubicles at its
fully serviced roadside rest areas as a proven strategy to provide safer workplaces for its staff
and a safe and functional environment for the travelling public.