By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HALDIMAND—Recently, Ron Marr from Mercer and Dickson Auto and General Repairs raised concerns with the installation of a needle drop-off box nearby his location off King Street East in Hagersville.
“It’s sort of like somebody placing a port-a-potty next to your business – who wants it?” said Marr. “Does that make me an insensitive citizen or something, or are we all supposed to be part of the program to help people?”
Marr expressed concerns that the box might scare away business, and over potential criminal behaviour around it, adding, “If you’re walking your kids down the street and see a needle drop-off box, I don’t really know if that’s a good teaching moment or what. That’s up to somebody else to decide.”
The Press reached out to the Haldimand Norfolk Health Unit (HNHU), whose Substance Use Team provided an in-depth look into the needle drop-off box program.
HNHU said this was the first negative feedback they’d heard, noting, “Most of our sharp boxes have been installed on the County’s properties or in public parks. So far, we have not received any concerns from any business owners. We are always ready to listen to their concerns and to work with them.”
The statement noted that despite the perceived notion that these bins might lead to increased crime in the area, various studies show this is not the case: “Negative impacts with current sharp disposal bin locations have not been identified. If concerns are reported to the Health Unit, it would be a priority to investigate these reports and develop strategies to reduce future negative impacts.”
The boxes are used for the safe disposal of sharp objects, defined by the Substance Use Team as “needles and anything attached to them, such as syringes, scalpels, scissors, lancets, and broken glass items such as ampoules or vials.”
The team said that if not discarded properly, these items pose a risk of injury to the public, including “potential exposure to infections such as blood-borne viruses (BBV), hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).”
With a lack of safe disposal sites, these sharps may end up in public areas or garbage bins. The team posits that by providing easy and safe access to the bins, like with the newly installed box in Hagersville, the likelihood of infections spreading is reduced.
Marr responded, “I’m not disputing that.… I think if you come down and look at it, you’ll have to at least give it some thought.”
The locations for these boxes are chosen with feedback from HNHU community partners, who regularly report when they find sharps in the community. HNHU monitors these locations to install new boxes or relocate old ones based on available resources.There a six locations in Haldimand now:
Caledonia Health Unit Office – 100 Haddington St., Caledonia
Dunnville Health Unit Office – 117 Forest St. E., Dunnville
180 Queen St., Dunnville
Dunnville Lions Park, 640 Lock St. W.
Hagersville Satellite Office, 1 Main St. S.
Cayuga Kinsmen Park, 16 Ottawa St. S.
“The number of bins to be installed depends on the needs of the community and the budget,” said the statement. “The final decision takes place after the approval from the management and the consultation with the County. We have an internal policy in place for proper handling of the sharps.”
Servicing and monitoring of the bins is done by Sharp Disposable Service. They are responsible for regularly emptying the bins and making unscheduled visits when the bins are full ahead of scheduled maintenance.
The Substance Use Team regularly promotes education, offering flyers to clients with important safety information on safe sharp disposal. They also offer the information through their website at hnhu.org.
The team said various factors can influence plans for new or relocated safe needle drop-off boxes, first being funding.
“Secondly, the health unit reviews the frequency and weights of each safe needle drop-off box being emptied. If the location … continues to have limited weight and need for being emptied, this can result in a relocation,” they continued. “Finally, the health unit incorporates feedback … to identify locations that could benefit most from implementing a safe needle drop-off box.”
HNHU is currently developing a Comprehensive Substance Abuse Strategy to “support our community on all substances (tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, opioids, and other drugs). Additionally, the Substance Use Team is working on finalizing an Opioid Response Plan which will aim to decrease the impacts of the opioid crisis within our communities.”
