Foto: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Needles found littered on the ground can pose a severe health hazard, but a new way to dispose of them in Somerville could solve that problem.
Three Sharps disposal boxes are set to begin operating around the city as part of a pilot program, with one already in place in Seven Hills Park in Davis Square. While public needle drops already exist, they are usually inside bathrooms or police stations.
Somerville Director of Health and Human Services Karin Carrol said she feels a public disposal method is a step in the right direction.
“There wasn’t something that was open to the public and something that was outdoor like this,” Carrol told WBZ NewsRadio. “So, it allows people to discreetly dispose of needles without having to go into a police station or go into an office, or library or something like that.”
The design is the first of its kind, called a dual Sharps container. It allows the user to access two slots. The top slot can be used to dispose of full boxes of sharps, and the bottom slot is for single-needle disposal.
Somerville officials believe that a third, more private disposal method could help clean up the city.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.