NEW YORK - The city is expanding the collection of discarded syringes in the South Bronx and Upper Manhattan.

The Sanitation Department says six additional officers will be added to its Environmental Police Unit to clear syringes from the streets and sidewalks in both areas.

The effort is meant to support the Bronx Action Plan which Mayor Bill de Blasio launched last year as a way to address the opioid epidemic in the South Bronx.

The Bronx Action Plan helps connect drug users with treatment programs and health services.