NEW YORK – An organization in New York City is taking action to clean up drug needles and syringes littered in a South Bronx park.
It’s a story by Shosh Bedrosian, the Bronx reporter for CBS New York first reported a week ago.
Bedrosian first walked through St. Mary’s Park with a concerned resident. They observed dozens of used syringes and needles in plain sight, often in places where children played.
“This is a medical waste dump here in St. Mary’s Park,” said resident Carmen Santiago.
OnPoint NYC removes thousands of syringes from South Bronx park
Every weekday, OnPoint NYCThe company’s crew cleans up hazardous waste in the 35-acre park. They say the constant drug use makes it difficult to clean it all up.
The Parks Department tells CBS New York that they have removed more than 6,000 syringes from St. Mary’s Park so far in 2024. And on top of that, OnPoint NYC says they removed more than 2,300 syringes from the park in March.
Last week, Bedrosian observed city resources such as Narcan kits attached to trees. OnPoint NYC says it was left there on purpose to provide drugs to drug users.
“These are left in areas frequently visited by people who are abusing substances and are at risk of overdose,” said Tom Blazsek.
OnPoint NYC says they provide wound care, hot meals and other services when they are in the park to help people struggling with addiction.
“I think it’s important that harm reduction organizations in the Bronx are properly funded to do the work that they do,” said Brittney Vargas-Estrella, director of operations for OnPoint NYC.
OnPoint NYC says they have collected and disposed of more than 2.5 million units of hazardous waste and drug paraphernalia from New York City streets, parks and public spaces since November 2021.
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