Disgarded hypodermic needles and syringes are becoming a problem and a health hazard for those working at the Mason County landfill, Mason County Commissioners learned Tuesday (January 12).
According to Steve Frodge, Mason County Solid Waste and Recycling coordinator, the needles found mixed in household trash are often used by residents for medical needs such as insulin shots for diabetics, although some may come from illegal drug use. No matter the origin, the items are a cause for concern, he said.
Employees and inmates who work with or sort trash use puncture resistant gloves on the job but even those may not stop a direct stab from a discarded needle, he said.
Frodge said needle disposal containers are available to dispose of the items properly but "most we find aren't contained at all." Using an empty laundry detergent bottle as a container for used needles is acceptable, he said. The container should be marked as to its contents before being discarded.
Also Tuesday, the court agreed to cover half the costs of a planned bus tour to promote the Col. Charles Young cabin at May's Lick. The tour will begin in Wilberforce, Ohio, and travel to Ripley before ending in May's Lick, Judge-Executive Joe Pfeffer said.
The event is planned to coincide with the renaming of Kentucky 324 in Mason County, from the intersection with U.S. 68 to its intersection with Kentucky 11, as the "Colonel Charles Young Memorial Highway." State Rep. Mike Denham has introduced a bill for the name change.
The court gave the OK to fund 50 percent of the tour, to a maximum of $625 and will explore the possibility of the city also contributing a portion of that cost.
Pfeffer said the tour will include visitors with connections to foundations and grants that could secure the future of the site.
"It could be a deciding tour," he said.
Pfeffer said in order for the site to become a permanent shrine, it needs to "move to the next level," perhaps by being included in the state or national park system.
"It's not a reality that the county can take this on," he said.
In other business, the court:
-- Learned the county has begun its vaccination and deworming program for animals taken in the animal shelter.
-- Heard a grant presentation for the livestock removal program.
-- Approved reports from the animal shelter, jailer, sheriff, road department, landfill, recycling center and solid waste and treaurer.
Commissioner Joe McKay was sworn in at the beginning of the meeting, McKay was appointed to his current seat following the death of his brother, Pat McKay, last spring. He was elected to fill the seat in November.
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