New York City is making a needle exchange program permanent with opioid funds
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New York City is ending a program that pays people up to $10 a day for used syringes, a controversial effort that critics argue puts taxpayer dollars in the pockets of addicts rather than treatment.
The program, known as the Community Syringe Rescue Program, was made permanent in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first city budget after the city’s $126 billion spending plan set aside $3 million to continue beyond its pilot phase, the New York Post reported. The funding appeared in budget documents submitted to the New York City Council on June 30, shortly before lawmakers approved the budget.
Participants receive 20 cents for every used syringe they return, payments up to 50 syringes, or $10 per day, according to the New York City Department of Health. The city has eight collection points – five in the Bronx and one each in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens – where registered participants can dispose of used needles during scheduled collections.
MAYORS WANT TO CONTINUE TO GIVE FREE MONEY AFTER GOVERNMENT MONEY STOPS.
A used syringe sits on the ground in a park as local politicians, religious leaders and Harlem community members participate in the ‘Make Our Streets Safe for Our Children’ march and rally on Oct. 8 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The program was launched as a pilot in March 2025 after legislation supported by progressive City Council members was passed in 2022. It is run by Addiction Response Resources, a nonprofit that also started a similar syringe rescue program in Boston, under an $11.1 million contract that runs through the end of next year, the Post reported.
Health officials say the program has collected more than 2.3 million used syringes since it began 16 months ago, the newspaper reported. In its first year, the city paid out nearly $292,000 to more than 1,700 participants.
Department of Sanitation data cited by the Post show that workers have collected 26,229 discarded needles so far this year, down from 64,560 at the same time in 2025.
Foreign worker Danilo with St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction participates in a weekly needle clean-up at a Bronx drug-using park on April 23, 2025 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
According to the Post, the city is paying for the program with more than $189 million in settlement money it receives from major opioid manufacturers and distributors — money that some critics argue should be directed toward addiction treatment instead.
FORMER EMPLOYEE OF REPRESENTATIVE NONPROFIT DEALING FENTANYL NEAR LA PARK: DOCS
Queens Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola argues the opioid payment money used to fund the program “should all go toward addiction treatment services — not paying users to turn over their needles for money,” the Post reported. He added that the program “puts money in the pockets of addicts” instead of helping them overcome their addiction.
The outreach workers at St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction participates in a weekly needle clean-up in a Bronx park for drug users on April 23, 2025 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Bronx Democratic Councilman Oswald Feliz praised the effort to remove discarded syringes but warned the city “must not create conditions that threaten the safety of vulnerable communities,” according to the Post.
Some participants see the program differently.
Tamia Wright, 43, told the Post it “turned into a mess” after returning used needles to a park in the Bronx, adding that she planned to spend the money on “weed … and cigarettes.”
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City officials say the program is aimed at reducing hazardous syringe waste in areas that often report discarded needles. The Health Department says improperly disposed syringes can pose a risk of needlestick injuries and disease transmission, and urges residents to safely dispose of sharps or report syringe waste by calling 311.
Health Department spokeswoman Rachel Vick defended the program, saying it helps residents “live in a syringe-free community” while disposing of medical waste safely and connecting people who need help closer.
