Discarded needles in sand put off beachgoer

A woman has sworn off swimming at a Wellington beach after finding discarded needles in the sand.

Michelle Stronach-Marsh said she’s stopped swimming at the Petone shore and won’t go for a dip unless safety measures are put in place.

Stronach-Marsh, who founded Plogging in Petone — picking up litter while jogging — said at times over summer she was finding discarded needles daily.

And she fears it’s increasing. “I found several needles in the same location weekly near a popular swimming spot at the beach.”

Stronach-Marsh said better waste management and a waste education programme were needed.

She said although it might be alarming to some people she thought having a sharps box to dispose of needles at the beach was necessary.

Stronach-Marsh is not the only one concerned about the rubbish. Petone Beach Clean-up Crew co-ordinator Lorraine Shaab said it’s an epidemic.

“When we started it would be normal to find one hypodermic needle, but two years on we found four a month ago and on Sunday we found three,” Shaab said.

She said they were often hidden in driftwood with the needle exposed.

The pair hadn’t made any specific complaints to the council about the needles, but had called for better waste management at the beach.

Besides needles, the anti-litter advocates said, the major issues were businesses not covering loads, fastfood wrappers and blown recycling.

A Hutt City Council spokesperson said although it often isn’t told when needles are found there hadn’t been any recent reports, apart from a

When we started it would be normal to find one hypodermic needle, but two years on we found four a month ago and on Sunday . . . three.

Lorraine Shaab Petone Beach Clean-up Crew

needleless syringe in a carpark. The council advises contractors to check bins at the beach three times a day, seven days a week. They also pick up rubbish on the beach twice a week.

A Capital and Coast District Health Board spokesperson said people who come across needles should contact their local council or the NZ Needle Exchange Programme for collection.

And if someone accidentally injures themselves with a used needle they should see their GP as soon as possible, the DHB said.

The Hutt City Council is working on a strategic review of waste management, with the outcomes expected to be put to the community early next year.