Home / Environment / Cape Breton Fights Needle Litter Crisis
Cape Breton Fights Needle Litter Crisis
15 Apr
Summary
- Discarded needles pose danger to public and sanitation workers.
- 50 sharps incidents recorded at Sydney facility in six months.
- CBRM seeks provincial mandate for producer responsibility for cleanup.
Discarded needles and sharps are a growing concern in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), presenting dangers to the public and creating significant occupational health and safety risks for waste management employees. Workers face the hazard of accidental pricks while collecting and sorting waste.
Provincial data highlights the scale of the problem, with one Sydney recycling facility recording 50 sharps incidents in a six-month period last year. This necessitates halting sorting lines and can lead to lengthy health monitoring for affected employees. Other municipalities like Victoria County, Region of Queens, and Colchester County also reported numerous sharps found.
CBRM is advocating for manufacturers and distributors to be held responsible for the cleanup costs through an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program. Despite the provincial government's current lack of interest in mandating this for needles, CBRM councillors are pushing for reconsideration, aiming to add a needle cleanup program to their municipal budget.
The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia offers a voluntary program for medical sharps, but it does not cover recreational use and is not universally accessible. CBRM intends to tender a municipal cleanup program to address the issue directly.
