AN Urban Councillor has called for a syringe exchange scheme, used with varying degrees of success overseas, to be considered for Hong Kong.
In the wake of the discovery of syringes at beaches including Rocky Beach in Shek O, Southern Ward councillor Joseph Chan Suet-yut said information he had received indicated the dumped needles were discarded by drug users rather than being medical waste.
''If this is the case it is a very serious matter which requires government departments, especially the police and Health Department, to work together to ensure dirty needles are not left in public places,'' he said.
Mr Chan said he was unsure of the extent of the problem and data needed to be collected to find out how many syringes were used and then discarded by the territory's intravenous drug users.
His comments came as a methadone treatment card was found washed up on Shap Long Beach in Lantau during a beach clean-up by the Green Lantau Association.
The Health Department said it was trying to trace the young addict to whom the card belonged.