New York City has made a program that pays drug users for returning used syringes a permanent part of its budget, setting aside $3 million to continue it past its pilot phase.
The funding was included in Mayor Zohran Mamdani's first city budget, part of a $126 billion spending plan. Budget documents submitted to the New York City Council on June 30 contained the allocation, shortly before lawmakers approved the full budget. The program's permanent status was first reported by the New York Post.
Participants receive 20 cents for every used syringe they return, with payments capped at 50 syringes, or $10 per day. The city operates eight redemption sites, five in the Bronx and one each in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Enrolled participants can drop off used needles during scheduled collection hours at those locations.
The Community Syringe Redemption Program launched as a pilot in March 2025, following legislation backed by progressive City Council members that passed in 2022. It is run by Addiction Response Resources, a nonprofit that also operates a similar program in Boston, under an $11.1 million contract running through the end of next year. Health officials said the program has collected more than 2.3 million used syringes since it began approximately 16 months ago. During its first year, the city paid out about $292,000 to more than 1,700 participants.
Sanitation Department data shows workers collected 26,229 discarded needles so far this year, down from 64,560 during the same period in 2025.
The city is funding the program using more than $189 million in settlement funds received from major opioid manufacturers and distributors. That funding source has drawn criticism from some elected officials who say the money should go toward addiction treatment.
Queens Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola argued the opioid settlement money "should all be going toward addiction treatment services — not for paying users to turn in their needles for cash," and that the program "is putting money in the pockets of addicts" instead of helping them recover, according to the Post. Bronx Democratic Councilman Oswald Feliz credited the program for removing discarded syringes but said the city "should not recklessly create conditions that can threaten the safety of vulnerable communities."
At least one participant described the program in personal terms. Tamia Wright, 43, told the Post it had become "definitely a side hustle" after returning used needles at a Bronx park, and said she planned to spend the money on "weed ... and cigarettes."