- In Boston, Clean Team Crew “Picks Up 1,000 Used Needles A Day.” For CBS News, Paul Burton reports on the city’s clean team who “stop at nothing to make sure neighborhoods are clear of needles from Nubian Square to Ramsey Park to the South End.” The city launched the effort after a 4-year-old child “accidently stepped on a used needle while celebrating a family cookout” at a park. Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald, a champion of the clean team program, explained to the news station that “the city needs to take a more forceful approach when it comes to making all of Boston’s communities safer… ‘What we’re asking for is a baseline quality of life, where someone shouldn’t have to worry about going to the park and stepping on a needle.’”
- In Seattle, Clean Teams “Safely Disposed Of 800,000 Needles, Syringes,” Last Year. KOMO News in Seattle reports on the success of the clean team in the city which “collected and safely disposed of 800,000 sharps such as needles, syringes, and lancets… cleared and collected more than 4.1 million pounds of trash… [and] 1 million square feet of graffiti was removed or painted over on public and private property,” around the city. City leaders explained to the news station that the team, part of the city’s public utilities, bolsters safety in the city by “maintaining access to public spaces, and protecting public health by removing litter, illegally dumped garbage, and other hazards.”
