Minneapolis Launches Syringe Disposal Program
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A pilot program to install syringe drop boxes throughout Minneapolis has begun.
The city says the drop box installation began Friday and will be completed no later than Nov. 18. The boxes are custom designed with features including small holes the size of syringes and other injection supplies, a secure box with a collection liner and an easily identifiable and nonthreatening design.
Industrial Hygiene Services Corporation, a professional biohazard company, will empty the boxes weekly and report its collected data to the city.
New York, San Francisco and Boston have already launched similar programs, and have found the boxes decrease the amount of syringe litter by half.
The program is part of an ongoing effort to curb the opioid epidemic in the city.
For more information, visit the city's website.