Our Bio SoCal team was recently hard at work cleaning up a former homeless encampment in an underground tunnel. A dense hazard of biohazardous material and trash to begin with, the recent storms that poured water into the tunnel making it all one soggy mess, certainly didn’t help the situation.
Tunnels are important conduits
Tunnels like the one we cleaned out, ones made for pedestrians, are good options for people who are homeless as they provide some shelter from the elements, are out of sight, and are places to camp away from cars. However, roadways and tunnels are important conduits through our cities, enabling people, bicycles, and vehicles to freely move from one place to another whether for work, fun, or to make deliveries. Walking through a homeless encampment with all the ensuing hazards, especially in a tunnel, is unsafe. To keep the community moving in safety, places such as this need to be cleaned out and restored to safety so people can move through them without fear for their health and well-being.
Heavy equipment was needed to clean out the trash from the homeless encampment
To clean up the trash from the homeless encampment in this Los Angeles tunnel, we started by bringing in heavy equipment to move all the urine and water-soaked trash outside. Using personal protective equipment and thick gloves, we then went through the material to remove all the needles and drug paraphernalia before legally disposing of the rest as biohazardous waste. Needles must be disposed of as medical waste and should never be disposed of as regular trash.
After cleaning out all the trash in the tunnel and disposing of it properly, we decontaminated all remaining surfaces and sanitized it so no viruses and bacteria were left to grow unchecked. The difference between how we found the tunnel and the cleaned property now safe for pedestrians was a night and day difference and we are proud of our work to keep the community safe and running well.
Don’t clean up biohazards on your own
It is one thing to pick up trash and litter around your local neighborhood and another to handle biohazards. With gloves and the proper tools, picking up litter can make a huge difference in our local communities. However, when it comes to homeless encampments, material soaked in urine and feces, biohazardous waste, and drug paraphernalia, do not clean these materials up on your own. Without the right training and cleaning equipment, you run great risk of harming yourself and others.
In all the dense, wet, urine-soaked, and burned debris we removed from the tunnel, there were hundreds of drug needles hidden among the trash. These had to be individually collected and safely disposed of. For those who don’t have the training, knowledge, and tools to handle this type of trash along with the licenses to transport it safely, you run great financial and physical risk. Rely on us at Bio SoCal and we will do the job right.
Call us at Bi SoCal for homeless encampment cleanup
If you are dealing with the refuse from a homeless encampment on your Southern California property, call us at Bio SoCal. We’ll clean out all the trash, biohazardous waste, and drug paraphernalia, dispose of the material properly according to all local and federal rules and regulations, then decontaminate the area so it is safe for you and other members of the public. Give us a call today. You’ll talk with our owner Alan and he’ll be happy to give you a free quote and consultation.
