Parks Dept. makes progress with installation of syringe disposal kiosks

<p>The Parks Department is making progress on the installation of kiosks to give users a safe place to discard their syringes.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 30, 2018, 11:44 PM

Updated 2,107 days ago

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The Parks Department is making progress on the installation of kiosks to give users a safe place to discard their syringes.
The effort is designed to reduce the number of needles and syringes on the grounds of Bronx parks.
The Parks Department announced it would install more than 60 kiosks throughout Bronx parks that would serve as safe disposal boxes. A total of 25 have been installed.
News 12 was at Saint Mary’s Park in Mott Haven Monday, where needles, syringes and orange caps to syringes are a common sight.
Nazir, a 16-year-old who is part of a summer youth program where he volunteers to pick up trash in the park, says his group found over a dozen syringes last Friday. He also found more syringes on Monday.
“It's too early to assess the effectiveness of the disposal kiosks as the installation process is ongoing” the department says. “However, early results have been promising -- our staff is finding fewer syringes on the ground in parks with kiosks, which means a reduced risk to parkgoers."
It did say early results have been promising, including staff finding fewer syringes on the ground in parks with kiosks.


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