They took to Facebook to warn parents about the prevalence of discarded needles in local parks.

“I noticed this needle right under the swing,” they said via NSW Nowra Crime and Alert Shoalhaven/South Coast.

“The thought of my kids being endangered by someone else’s stupidity really upset me.

“If people want to have a habit like this then keep it to yourselves, don't put innocent people at risk, especially children.”

A resident shared their concern about the Shoalhaven hospital supplying free needles.

“Sad that they pick them up from the hospital for free and walk down to our parks not too far away,” Abby Lewis said.

“You get it for free, you could do the right thing and get rid of it safely.”

There are free needle deposit units at chemists in the area.

In fact, there are six places to dispose of a needle safely within 2km of where the needle was dumped.

Find your nearby needle disposal locations via this website.

The South Coast Register contacted Shoalhaven City Council to see how often parks are cleaned.

“Moorehouse Park, Nowra is one of 326 playgrounds in the Shoalhaven and is inspected every three months and mowed approximately every two weeks,” a council spokesperson said.

“Council maintains parks and reserves to the best we can with the resources and budgets we have available.”