A status report published last week found that San Luis Obispo County’s syringe exchange program collected 168 thousand used syringes, 37 thousand more than the amount of sterile syringes distributed.
“That tells us that perhaps there are individuals who are collecting syringes on the street,” SLO County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein told KCBX.
Borenstein submitted the status report covering 2023-2025 to the SLO County Board of Supervisors last week. It found the amount of used syringes collected increased by 20 thousand last fiscal year, in comparison to the year before.
SLO Bangers, the independent organization that administers the county’s syringe exchange program, provides participants with sterile syringes, naloxone, testing for HIV and Hepatitis C and connections to addiction recovery services. It’s part of the harm reduction movement, “a set of practical strategies designed to reduce the negative consequences of drug use,” according to its website.
Program Director Lo Petty said SLO Bangers is growing.
“We've been adding sites, so that means that there's people that can access our services easier,” Petty told KCBX.
She added that SLO Bangers doesn’t incentivize syringe waste collection, so participants bring them in “because they want to keep their community clean.”
“ People that are unhoused or have unstable housing, they don't really like having syringes laying around,” Petty said.
The county status report found two thirds of program participants don’t have access to stable housing. Borenstein said demographically, the most common person using the exchange service is a white man aged 25 to 54. Methamphetamine is the drug used most by participants.
Testing for HIV and Hepatitis C at SLO Bangers has decreased since 2024, according to the report. Petty said her organization is trying to replace a grant that had helped fund testing.
“These programs have proved effective in infection control and overdose prevention,” Borenstein told KCBX, adding that research doesn’t show they lead to more illegal drug use.
