By Ewen McRae
Brimbank council hopes a new strategy for removing discarded syringes will improve community safety.
The council endorsed an action plan for syringe management at last week’s meeting, following a spike in the number of used syringes found across Brimbank over the past 12 months.
In the 2016-17 financial year the council picked up 559 syringes in parks, reserves and public places. In the 2017-18 financial year that number more than tripled, with 1999 syringes picked up.
Requests from the public for the council to collect discarded syringes also increased in the past year, with 460 requests in 2017-18, compared to 290 in the previous 12 months.
Brimbank mayor Margaret Giudice said it was important for the council to counter the health and social harms associated with injecting drug use, including the problem of discarded syringes.
“The use and misuse of alcohol and other drugs is a complex problem that has impacts on both users and the wider community,” Cr Giudice said.
“Council has been concerned with the number of improperly discarded syringes.
“An important part of our drive to keep Brimbank safe will be working with other responsible authorities to improve planning around alcohol and other drugs, as well as health services.
“More accurate syringe distribution and disposal data from these authorities will help council to enhance its syringe retrieval processes.”
Under the plan, the council will install more disposal units around the municipality, including in new public toilets, in “hotspots” and in council facilities which are accessible after hours.
The council will also join service providers to make sure there is more education on how to dispose of syringes safely.
