SANFORD, Maine — At Maine Access Points in Sanford, you can exchange one needle for up to 100 clean ones. Some city officials believe the people getting those needles are using them and then leaving them on the ground or in other places around the city.
Recently, Maine Access Points purchased an almost 300-pound sharps disposal container, to allow community members to dispose of needles when the center is closed. Containers like it have been part of Maine Access Point's attempt to work with the city toward a solution to needle waste.
"We don't want to see syringe litter either," Nikki Butler said, who runs Sanford's syringe service program out of Maine Access Points.
Butler is worried about the Sanford City Council's vote Tuesday night that could change the exchange ratio, allowing people to only get one needle back for each one they return.
"We want to make sure everybody's protected and harm isn't caused," Butler said.
Since the new ratio was introduced in 2022, under CDC guidelines, Butler said they've been able to provide important intervention services and decrease disease transmission.
She also said they keep good relationships with the people who use the services and advise them to bring their needles back. In the center's back room, Butler showed NEWS CENTER Maine buckets of filled sharps containers, as proof that people do in fact make these returns.
However, Sanford City Manager Steven Buck believes this strategy isn't counteractive enough and the cleanup efforts haven't matched the increase in needle supply.
"What our community is responding to is direct observations," Buck said.
He said since the 1:100 ratio was enacted, they've seen a drastic increase in needle waste on their streets and hiking trails.
The Maine CDC advised against the proposed solution, sending the Sanford City Council a letter on Nov. 6. The letter cited data showing restricting syringe access is linked to poor community health and still does not mean there will be fewer syringes improperly disposed of.
Butler also shared the belief that the ordinance may have the opposite effect than what's intended.
"You're going to see more syringe litter because they're going to need to hide them to turn them in," Butler said.
While Buck didn't deny the science, agreeing harm reduction is a very positive thing, he said they've had several meetings with the CDC to come up with a better solution, but believes the agency's response hasn't been aggressive enough.
"There is a public health crisis for inappropriately discarded needles that are being left unaddressed for the 25,000 other people in this community that risk exposure," Buck said.
While most in the community share the desire to clean up the streets, they stray over whether this solution will take the city forward or backward.
"I see a lot more hospital trips. I just feel like it's going to draw a big line and people aren't going to want to come in here and get services," Butler said.
If city councilors vote 'yes,' Buck said the ordinance will be in effect for about 3 months. He said he sees it as a trial run and they are open to changing it if the Maine CDC or syringe providers can come up with a better solution.