The bins are in place in the Morrisons car park, in Front Street, Acomb, and Kingsway North, in Clifton.
It comes as part of knife crime crackdown across North Yorkshire which has seen an additional 20 knife bins installed across the county.
North Yorkshire Council said the scheme follows a success trial of a bin in Harrogate, where more than 1,800 bladed items have been left.
“While knife crime statistics in North Yorkshire are two and a half times lower than the national average, there is a desire to avoid complacency,” a council spokesperson said.
The bins have been installed as part of a joint initiative by North Yorkshire Council, City of York Council and North Yorkshire Police.
This was made possible by a grant of more than £15,000 from the York and North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning, North Yorkshire Council said.
Cllr Michael Pavlovic, City of York Council’s executive member for safer communities, said: “Whilst York remains one of the UK’s safest cities, with low rates of knife crime we can never be complacent, as we see the devastation that the use of knives can have on families and individuals.
“Carrying a knife will always have a risk of serious harm. These bins provide an opportunity to remove that risk without the need to be identified.”
Cllr Heather Phillips, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for corporate services whose responsibilities include community safety, said: “If we can prevent just one knife or bladed article getting into the wrong hands, then these bins will have proven to be worthwhile.”
Jo Coles , York and North Yorkshire’s deputy mayor for policing, fire and crime, said: “Knife crime is a national problem and although our region has relatively low levels of this type of crime, the risk to our communities from knives is extremely serious.”
She added: “The expansion in the number of knife bins is therefore welcome progress towards the creation of safer places for everyone.”
‘You won’t get into trouble for transporting knives to these locations’
Sergeant Paul Evans, from North Yorkshire Police, said knife crime in the county is “much lower than average” but “sadly we do deal with the catastrophic effects of knives falling into the wrong hands”.
He added: “I’d encourage people to use the new online map to find their nearest bin, then wrap their knives in cardboard to safely dispose of them.
“You won’t get into trouble for transporting knives to these locations, and you’ll be helping to keep North Yorkshire safe.”
- Those wishing to deposit a knife are advised to wrap the blade in either thick paper or cardboard and secure with tape as a safety precaution. Once secure, take the knife directly to the bin location and deposit it safely by dropping it through the hatch.
- People can see the exact locations of all the knife bins in York and North Yorkshire by visiting the North Yorkshire Police website at www.northyorkshire.police.uk/knifebins
