'One at a time': St. Thomas man on mission to collect discarded needles

A St. Thomas man is being recognized for picking up thousands of discarded needles used to inject street drugs.

Ken Nash was recently honoured by St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston.

Nash, a full-time reservist in the Canadian Army, began picking up needles and other drug paraphernalia in the summer of 2021.

The idea came to him after finding a needle while his children were playing in a St. Thomas park.

Since then, he and his supporters have used a bucket and tongs for collection.

“As long as we use the right equipment and make certain we are not touching it directly, it’s okay,” he said.

The City of St. Thomas posted recognition of Ken Nash’s efforts this week in December 2023. (Source: City of St. Thomas)

As CTV News witnessed Thursday, it did not take him long to find discarded needles at the site of a former encampment.

Nash said safe collection is part of his joint mission to keep St. Thomas clean and to assist overwhelmed civic resources.

So far, he’s collected and disposed of over 3,000 needles.

“500 to 550 finds each quarter. So, I’m looking at 3,200 to 3,300 needles that I’ve picked up. Obviously, the vast majority are unused. But, the amount that are out there is pretty staggering,” he reflected with concern.

A discarded needle sits amongst other items in the area of a former encampment in St. Thomas, seen on Dec. 21, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)