A Moncton organization has been left frustrated after they’ve received no help from the city in disposing of hundreds of used needles they’ve collected in an effort to clean up the neighbourhood.
Needle Dogs Moncton is an organization of about 20 volunteers that scours the city searching for used drug pipes, needles and baggies.
They’ve stored what they’ve collected at a volunteer’s apartment, but volunteer Sherry MacEachern said but are running out of room and want to dispose of them safely.
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“We need to find a way to get rid of these needles,” MacEachern said.
The organization has tried to take the items to local pharmacies or hospitals but MacEachern said they have been turned down.
Global News also spoke with two Moncton pharmacies but was told they can only take needles, according to the New Brunswick Pharmacists Association.
Many of the items are collected in the same container and, as a result, needles end up alongside the other items.
Peter Ford, of Ford’s Family Pharmacy, said because the items aren’t separated it wouldn’t be possible for the pharmacy’s needle disposal.
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“We can’t take it because we don’t know what is in it,” he said.
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A memo obtained by Global News shows only a few hospitals and community health centres in the Horizon Health Network still dispose of them. The “medical sharps” — medical instruments that are sharp or may produce sharp pieces like needles or scalpels — were no longer accepted at most Horizon Health facilities as of Dec. 31, 2016.
An e-mail from the New Brunswick Department of Health reiterated that statement, saying the practice of accepting used needles from the public has been discontinued, but they are looking into other options.
“The Department of Health is currently working on a solution to provide residents with an option of disposing of these items,” said Paul Bradley with the department.
In addition to pharmacies and hospitals, registered biomedical waste companies are not licenced to handle illegal drug materials, leaving the group with few options for disposal.
Asked why the group doesn’t separate as they collect, they said it would result in too many containers for the small group to carry.
As for separating them later, MacEachern said, “Impossible. That is a death sentence right there.”
The group showed up at Moncton City Hall Thursday to plead their case, but she says they were told to go to the same places who just turned them down.
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In an e-mailed statement from the City of Moncton, spokesperson Isabelle LeBlanc said hazmat materials are not handled by the city. She went on to say parks staff do pick up needles they see in parks and trails, and bylaw officers can do the same on city property. Any needles or other materials found on private property, however, is the responsibility of the property owner.
LeBlanc also advised of a community drop box at the SIDA/AIDS office in Moncton that was installed a few years ago.
MacEachern, however, said that’s not a possibility.
“We can’t take them to SIDA/AIDS because it’s not just needles,” she said.
The Codiac RCMP says while it can’t collect needles, it is encouraging the group to contact them when they come across drugs and drug paraphernalia and they will go and collect it.
In the meantime, the group says it will continue to clean up the various paraphernalia as they continue to look for a place to deposit the items.
—With files from Shelley Steeves and Alexander Quon, Global News
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