New York City Parks Sees First Syringe Dropbox
Tuesday, May 10th 4:00PM at the corner of 177th Street & Haven Avenue, at the top of the ZigZag pathway in Haven Park, a community group will unveil the first syringe drop-box in a NYC Park.
NEW YORK, May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuesday afternoon a community group in Washington Heights will unveil the first syringe drop-box in a New York City Park. Shaped like a daisy, the unit will help keep parks safe and clean for all while providing drug users a place to drop their used needles. The drop-box will be piloted for the next six months to measure changes in cleanliness and safety.
This initiative, developed in conjunction with New York State Department of Health and approved by New York City Parks is designed to improve park safety by making syringe disposal available on an as-needed basis. Manhattan Community Board 12 approved the initiative.
BACKGROUND:
Since 2007, Washington Heights CORNER Project (WHCP) has offered safe disposal of syringes both onsite and through hazardous waste pickup conducted by outreach team members. Over the last 6 years, more than 93,000 syringes have been collected and disposed by WHCP. Concentration of improperly disposed syringes in Upper Manhattan parks has been found to be highest near the George Washington Bridge, particularly west of Haven Avenue, with more than one third of all syringes collected found in this vicinity. Placement of this drop-box was selected purposefully to be out of the way and in a location that has the least likelihood of being a nuisance to the general public. In other cities such as Los Angeles, Buffalo, and Vancouver, Canada, such measures have greatly improved park cleanliness and appropriateness for young people.
CONTACT: Sarah Deutsch, 917-504-9931 Email
SOURCE Washington Heights CORNER Project (WHCP)
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