A photo of a needle disposal box in uptown Saint John (Source: CHSJ)
The spring melt has begun in Saint John, revealing many things buried under the snow, including used needles.
Avenue B Harm Reduction program is advising the public to take precautions and keep an eye on your children and animals, but that there’s no need to create a panic about the needles.
Julie Dingwell with Avenue B says needles can be disposed of safely. If you spot one in your neighbourhood, wear a glove, pick it up from the plastic end, and put it in a hard plastic or glass container, such as a laundry detergent bottle or a jar.
Those containers can be dropped off at Avenue B, or needles can be taken to one of five needle deposit boxes on telephone poles around the city.
Dingwell also adds if you aren’t comfortable doing that, or the situation is too much to handle, give them a call and they will arrange someone to help clean up the needles.
“We understand it’s not something that people want to see. I think that there’s a good opportunity here for the community to learn from this and for us to all work together,” she said in an interview.
She says to her knowledge, there have been no reported cases of someone contracting HIV from picking up and discarding a used needle.
“I would say that 99 per cent of people who use injection drugs are in fact very careful about what they do with their used needles, but I think we just need to continue to promote how to discard needles safely,” she said.
Dingwell says needle use is on the rise across Canada as the opioid crisis continues to grow, which explains why there seems to be more than usual.
She says if anything, this is a good learning opportunity for everyone involved.
“I think we need to just continue to promote how to discard needles safely and what to do if you find a needle, and just not create a panic over it,” she said.
People who use drugs face a lot of stigma, something Avenue B works toward decreasing by providing clean needles and safe injection sites. Dingwell says efforts like these are key to reducing harm, as well as community education.
She says the organization and the city are working together to create a peer-based task force that would educate users, provide healthcare options, and keep neighbourhoods safe.
