Walking through St. Mary's Park in Mott Haven often means taking in some unsightly views.

People here say syringe needles usually can be seen scattered in the grass and just about everywhere else.

"It's so bad that when I walk through the park with my nieces and nephews, I hold their hands close,” said park-goer Francisco Rosado.

The Parks Department says its workers pick up an average of 5,000 syringes a week in the Bronx.

Last month, the department began placing safe disposal boxes in the 16 Bronx parks littered with the most number of needles. Parks workers are being trained to safely empty the locked metal containers.

"You find a red top or orange top, or needle point anything is out here. It's like it's the '80s or '90s or something,” said Jason Perry.

Kiauntay Craig is the mother of two young boys. She says she can't take her eyes off her children for even a second.

"They touch everything. The first thing they do is put it in their mouths. Syringes carry all types of diseases," added Craig.

The new needle deposit box in Patterson Park is located just outside the soccer field.

Some park visitors say the box sends the wrong message.

"You're just making people that do the drugs more comfortable to just do it in the park," said Chemyk Bryant.

Others think the metal bins don’t go far enough.

"When you shoo them away, that means your shoo them away to somewhere else. So it's not eliminating the problem. You’re just pushing the problem somewhere else,” said Ms. Craig.