Sharp safe disposal collection boxes will soon be seen throughout Susanville. Barbara Longo, Lassen County’s Public Health and Social Services Director presented to the Susanville City Council seeking thier support of the coming program. The addition of the collection boxes would be placed in areas throughout the community to allow the safe disposal of medical syringes as well as those used for drugs. Longo made a point to address that the program is not being initiated as an enabling tool for drug abuse, as several other California major cities have done. Yet the collection boxes aim to make the parks, business sidewalks and streets safer for the community, children, and pets. Currently there are very few safe collection locations. Right now medical syringes can be collected in Chester and Quincy, an unpractical drive for the people of Susanville and its nearby communities. Longo shared county health will support the collection box program with an educational campaign on addiction and pharmaceutical waste as well as evaluating the program’s success through quantified reports.
