500 used needles found in ditch
A call from a former Putnam County sheriff’s deputy removed a major safety concern from the side of a Greencastle road Saturday afternoon.
Mike Johnson was walking along Albin Pond Road just west of Round Barn Road when he noticed a grocery bag and other debris in ditch.
Closer inspection revealed hundreds of hypodermic needles and other diabetic supplies.
Deputy Josh Boller was dispatched to the scene and began the task of collecting what he estimates to be more than 500 needles, at least half of them uncapped.
Authorities do not believe the needles are linked to any sort of illicit drug use, as they also found insulin bottles and blood sugar testing supplies.
Such improper disposal remains a safety issue nonetheless.
“It’s a huge safety issue for kids,” Boller said, “and for people walking down that road.”
Not only were many of the sharps exposed, but many still had blood on them.
Boller said the grocery bag had been stuff full of the needles, but it had burst open and many were loose in the ditch.
Boller and Johnson, who was once a deputy himself, spent 45 minutes collecting the needles one at a time, so as not to be exposed to anything.
“Mike was a huge help for taking car of that issue for us,” Boller said.
Besides the grocery bag, two biohazard bags were filled with needles, as well as partially-filled third biohazard bags.
When Boller ran out of supplies, Operation Life was dispatched to the scene, providing additional bags.
With no criminal activity suspected in this case, authorities instead wish to use it as an example of what not to do and a reminder of how to properly dispose of sharps, including syringes and blood-testing lancets.
While law enforcement officials have access to health care facilities for disposing of biomedical waste, there are home solutions for diabetics and others who much use needles at home.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), used sharps should be immediately placed in a sharps disposal container. FDA-cleared sharps containers are available through pharmacies, medical supply companies, health care providers and online.
When FDA-cleared containers are not available, a heavy-duty plastic household container, such as a laundry detergent container, can be used as an alternative.