Health Department Launches Syringe Redemption Pilot to Safely Tackle Syringe Litter Under Local Law 124
Syringe Buyback Program Will Trade Cash for Sharps, Train Adults on How to Safely Collect
New Program Helps Support Adams Administration’s Mission of Safe, Clean, and Vibrant Communities
May 14, 2025 — The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced the start of enrollment for the Community Syringe Redemption Program (CSRP) pilot offering participants up to $10 a day to help keep their neighborhoods clean. In the first month of operation, the program collected 20,000 used syringes.
The program is mandated under Local Law 124 of 2022, which was sponsored by City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala.
The first two weeks of operation were dedicated to registering and teaching interested adults how to safely collect syringes and bring them to redemption sites in exchange for a small cash payment. Enrollment is ongoing.
“Access to sterile syringes is essential to preventing disease and protecting the health of New Yorkers. We also know that clean and safe public spaces are key to wellbeing,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse. “This program will bolster our ongoing efforts to address community concerns and connect people to care. We thank the City Council for their support of the city’s overdose prevention and syringe litter work.”
“I'm proud to have led on this legislation to create a syringe buyback pilot and support cleaner neighborhoods across New York City,” said City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “Increasing efforts to address syringe litter is an important tool to keep our communities safe and healthy. I look forward to continued collaboration with my partners at the Health Department on this important work.”
The vans, operated by Addiction Response Resources, will visit eight sites across the city on a rotating basis, five days a week. Initial locations and schedules were selected based on community need and proximity to other programs. Anyone 18 or older can register to participate.
Locations include:
- Archer Avenue, Queens
- Borinquen Place, Brooklyn
- Highbridge Park, Manhattan
- St. Mary’s Park, Bronx
- Echo Park, Bronx
- The Hub, Bronx
- Walter Gladwin Park, Bronx
- Kingsbridge Underpass, Bronx
The pilot will support ongoing efforts to address syringe litter complaints through partnerships with community groups and government agencies, and recently expanded outreach. In 2024, Health Department Outreach and Syringe Litter teams collected more than 198,000 ground syringes, provided syringe disposal education more than 7,000 times, and the Health Department distributed more than 304,000 naloxone kits citywide.
Teams operating the vans will also be able to make referrals to nearby services including syringe service programs (SSPs) and other community resources nearby.
In addition to collecting and safely disposing of used syringes, SSPs provide a broad range of health and social services that can include overdose prevention education and naloxone distribution; drug treatment and referrals; HIV and hepatitis C testing; and referrals to health care and resources.
Research shows that access to sterile syringes through SSPs and their predecessors reduces the transmission of preventable diseases including HIV and hepatitis C. There was a 98 percent decrease in HIV diagnoses among people with a history of injection drug use between 2001 and 2023 overall, with an average decrease per year of 17 percent. To find an SSP or healthcare resources near you, visit the NYC HealthMap.
In addition to supporting syringe service programs, the Health Department funds substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction programs across the city. As part of the Adams administration’s plans to increase annual support for opioid prevention and treatment to $50 million, the Health Department is working to expand access to low-threshold medications for opioid use disorder treatment through a Request for Proposals and expanding the number of hospitals participating in the non-fatal opioid overdose response program, Relay.
CSRP comes online as the Adams administration continues to build on its efforts to address quality-of-life concerns in high need areas. To expand its efforts to address these continuing challenges, the city has brought together over a dozen city agencies under the administration’s “Community Link” initiative, to enforce quality-of-life concerns and deliver essential services to New Yorkers, including in “The Hub” section of the Bronx.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Vick PressOffice@health.nyc.gov