Local resident Yasmin Crane contacted the Courier to express her concern about the potential for a needle stick injury. She and her husband have found six or seven syringes over the last few months scattered in grass near the Stingray Creek Bridge cleaning tables at North Haven.

"That's six or seven too many," Yasmin said.

"People need to be aware that needles are scattered around like this or someone could get hurt. Lots of kids play in the area, so it is a real worry to think syringes are just lying around," she added.

Late last year, a seven-year-old boy accidently pricked himself with a needle he found on Flynn's Beach.

What to do when you find a needle or syringe:

All needles and syringes should be placed in a sharps container or other appropriate container before being placed in a sharps disposal facility.

Safe disposal facilities are located at all NSW public hospitals including Port Macquarie Base Hospital and Wauchope District Memorial Hospital.

Community sharps disposal facilities are located in the Council carpark on the corner of Bonser Lane and Laurie Street, Laurieton, as well as a number of pharmacies in Port Macquarie.

Under no circumstances should needles and syringes be left in waste or recycling bins, in public litter bins, flushed down drains or toilets or discarded into the environment.

People who find a syringe in a public place should call the Needle Clean-Up Hotline on 1800 633 353. The hotline is a call centre that takes reports from the public and coordinates the clean-up of dumped needles in NSW. It is manned between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday (except for public holidays).

A Needle Syringe Program is available at Camden Haven Community Health site in Laurie Street, Laurieton. A 24 hour 'fitpack' vending machine and sharps safe-disposal draw is located on the right hand side of the main Community Health building.

More information about the local Needle Syringe Program is available by calling 6559 9003.