CITY residents could be paid to give used syringes and other medical waste to Shanghai hospitals for disposal, under a new proposal.

Political advisers are calling on the city authorities to provide incentives to tackle the problem of disposing of the 1 million syringes used by Shanghai residents every day at home.

Currently, these are often simply discarded along with domestic waste, creating health concerns as syringes and needles can harbor disease, including HIV/AIDs.