Increasing safe syringe collection sites in New York State

This article describes expansion of options for safe syringe collection in New York State (NYS) in conjunction with efforts to enhance and expand access to hypodermic needles and syringes. Together with activities to educate the public and providers about the dangers of improperly disposed of syringes, the goals were to (1) develop community-based collection sites for individuals to safely dispose of used syringes and (2) improve accessibility of existing health-care facility-based collection sites. During the period of 2002 to 2006, 79 community-based collection sites were created. These sites collected an estimated 2.6 million used syringes during 2006. Significant increases in availability and use of health-care facility-based collection sites was also documented. Efforts to promote safe disposal in NYS are ongoing, informed by these findings.