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Third Avenue BID cleans 8,000 pounds of trash daily, including needles at the epicenter of opioid epidemic

The BID’s CEO says they have two or three overdoses a day on Roberto Clemente Plaza, but that nearly every team member has saved a life with Naloxone, the nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose, which they are all trained to use.

News 12 Staff

Oct 13, 2021, 2:37 AM

Updated 1,165 days ago

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The Third Avenue Business Improvement District is not only cleaning up syringes and thousands of pounds of trash each day, but they’re also saving lives in the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. 
This comes as the Bronx led the city in overdose deaths in 2020, according to a Department of Health report. 
From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, the 12 members of the Third Avenue BID’s sanitation team tirelessly clean from 148th Street to 153rd Street. 
They say they clear over 8,000 pounds of trash per day. They’re also properly disposing of needles that litter the ground, working closely with St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction. 
The BID’s CEO says they have two or three overdoses a day on Roberto Clemente Plaza, but that nearly every team member has saved a life with Naloxone, the nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose, which they are all trained to use.