Clean Needle Program (CNP) Pharmacy Scheme - Terms & Conditions

Participating pharmacies agree to the following:

• Use the provided 120L or 240L sharps disposal bin for community (pharmacy and CNP clients) generated sharps waste only.
• Not to accept commercially generated waste from external businesses such as medical centres, nursing homes etc.  Pharmacies with excessive sharps disposal use may be contacted for further information and may be liable for additional charges. External businesses can be referred to waste service providers to make arrangement for their own sharps disposal requirements. e.g. Veolia (ph) 8260 2122, Cleanaway (ph) 131 955 or Fresh & Clean (ph) 8168 7900.
• Approved sterile injecting and sharps disposal equipment (prepacked sharps packs) must be available for sale to all consumers. If a consumer cannot afford a prepacked sharps pack, staff can refer the consumer to the closest community CNP site where they can access free equipment if desired. For a list of Community CNP sites see hyperlink address at the bottom of this page.¹  
• Only dispose of sharps waste contained in an appropriate rigid-walled, puncture resistant container. Loose sharps, medications, medical and general waste must not be disposed of in the sharps disposal bin.
• Agree to auditing of contents of sharps disposal bins by DASSA
• Store the sharps disposal bin in a lockable area located within the pharmacy and NOT outside the pharmacy. Participating pharmacies must have the sharps disposal bin located in an area that cannot be easily accessed by unsupervised children.
• The pharmacy will be responsible for the replacement cost of the sharps disposal bin if it is lost or damaged.
• In cases of change in pharmacy ownership, the pharmacy’s participation in CNP Pharmacy Scheme is automatically transferred over to the new owner, unless the new owner states otherwise. It is the responsibility of both the old and new owners to ensure the 120L or 240L sharps disposal bin is transferred accordingly and in good condition.
• If a pharmacy is relocating, the pharmacy must contact the Guild SA Branch to organise the relocation of the sharps disposal bin to the new site (premise). The sharps disposal bin should not be removed from the original site by pharmacy staff as they do not have the relevant licenses required to move a sharps disposal bin.
• Adhere to the Guild SA Branch policies and procedures of the CNP Pharmacy Scheme (including procedures relating to the safe disposal of sharps and client confidentiality ).
• Maintain a level of knowledge amongst staff regarding the CNP Pharmacy Scheme, the community CNP scheme and other harm minimisation strategies.
• Agree to have the pharmacy’s details listed publicly on the Guild SA Branch website as a participating pharmacy of the CNP Pharmacy Scheme.
• The collection, storage and disclosure of information relating to the pharmacy’s involvement in the CNP to DASSA and ADIS .
• Receive future promotional material from The Pharmacy Guild of Australia. You may opt out at any time.
• Participate in a CNP Pharmacy Scheme Operational Survey for quality improvement purposes .
• Not to use promotional material of any kind (e.g. that of the pharmacy or any other service provider) for the promotion or advertising of CNP Pharmacy Scheme products  (e.g. prepacked sharps packs/kits).

1.  A list  of Community CNP sites is available here

Additional information:

Pharmacies may be visited to ensure compliance with the above Terms and Conditions.

Approval of registration is contingent on DASSA funding, program capacity and the accessibility of sharps disposal contractors in the pharmacy's area.  

To remain a “participating” pharmacy in the CNP Pharmacy Scheme, the pharmacy must comply at all time with the CNP Pharmacy Scheme Terms & Conditions.

If a participating pharmacy is to be found non-compliant with CNP Pharmacy Scheme Terms & Conditions:

1. the Guild SA Branch will make contact with the pharmacy to ask for clarification
2. the pharmacy may be issued with a warning and a notice to remedy
3. If the non-compliance continues, the pharmacy will be de-registered from the program.