Parents shocked after daughter finds used syringes at Asheville school bus stop
By Samiar Nefzi
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — An Asheville mother struggled to find someone to clean up used syringes her teenage daughter found at a school bus stop.
According to Jody Read, her high school daughter spotted the syringes days ago, so she called the Asheville Police Department to pick them up.
“I’m scared for the kids,” Read said. “Somebody could get hurt or exposed to diseases. It’s full of needles.”
Read said an APD official said officers don’t respond to calls for improperly disposed of needles.
“The reality is, when you have this type of call over a 911 call, when somebody has an emergency, we know what we’re going to have to do, unfortunately,” APD spokesperson Bill Davis said. “The good thing is, we have a couple of available resources.”
The city has been working with Western North Carolina Aids Project and Steady Collective to pick up needles found around the city.
“We know that hypodermic needle use is something that is constantly going on in our area,” Davis said. “With that, there’s probably going to be needles left in public areas. It’s something we’re constantly seeing and taking very seriously.”
Meanwhile, for Read, she said she had no idea who the responsibility for cleanup fell to.
“I’d like to see this cleaned up,” Read said. “I don’t have any experience with dealing with used needles, and I also don’t want children walking through it.”
News 13 reached out to WNCAP, which responded to Maple and Moody Avenue to clean up the nearly 10 syringes.
“Probably about two to three times a week,” Raymond Velazquez, Harm Reduction Coordinator for WNCAP, said. “I think if we did have an increased amount of proper syringe disposal areas, I think we’d be able to help prevent as much syringe litter as there is.”
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