Used needles resurfacing in public places
Volunteers from the Ally Centre out daily looking for them
As snow melts and ice falls, improperly disposed of used needles are being found around down town Sydney and other parts of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).
“It’s been a week or so, especially since the snow melted, we’re seeing more,” said Christine Porter, executive director of the Ally Centre of Cape Breton.
“It’s being talked about in the rant rooms and Facebook quite a bit. It’s unfortunate but that’s what happens every year. When the snow melts they resurface.”
This is why volunteers from the Ally Centre go out almost every day, portable sharp disposal containers in hand, looking for used needles and other needle litter.
Often, they check areas that are known to be common spots where people inject drugs.
Amanda Williams and
Shane Burton are two of these volunteers. They showed the Cape Breton Post some of these areas. During that time, they found empty sterile water vials, used to prepare the drugs for injection, an
item used to cook the drugs, empty needle packaging and needles. Williams and Burton said sometimes they find hidden stashes of needles in spots to be used at another time.
Part of the danger of used needles being disposed of improperly in public areas is the chance of being pricked and contracting a blood-borne pathogen like hepatitis C or HIV. There is also a chance of drug poisoning, depending on the drug used in the needle, something Porter said she hasn’t come across herself.
This is why Porter believes the plan to add 15 outdoor safe needle drop off kiosks in “hot spots” in the CBRM is needed.
“Children and needles, they don’t mix. We don’t need needles in our street for anyone, not just children,” Porter said.
“The only way that we can contain it more so than we have been is get those outdoor kiosks, give people a proper place to dispose of them, teach people how to pick them up and dispose of them and get rid of some of the fears around them, although their fears are not unwarranted.”
At a police commissioners meeting on Dec. 12, a motion was passed to present to CBRM council a plan to put these kiosks in at an estimated cost of $21,025. Areas suggested are Sydney, Glace Bay, Dominion, New Waterford, Sydney Mines and North Sydney.
Hopes are the CBRM will take over maintenance of the kiosks as the Ally Centre doesn’t have the resources to do this.
The next step is to bring the presentation for the needle kiosks to the CBRM’s budget talks scheduled for later this month.