If you’ve seen a growing number of homeless encampments going up around town, you’re not alone. These encampments are popping up all across the state as the homeless population continues to rise. 

Homeless encampments don’t just show up in one part of town. They show up wherever there’s an opportunity and space for them to exist. Unfortunately, with homeless encampments comes major safety and health issues. Homeless encampments can become very unsanitary very quickly, making them breeding grounds for disease and illnesses. Inevitably, there comes a time when there’s going to have to be homeless encampment cleaning done. If you’re looking into finding out about homeless encampment cleaning in Hermosa, California, the following information may help.

What Is a Homeless Encampment?

When you hear the term encampment, you probably assume that it refers to a huge space where a lot of people are living. In fact, a homeless encampment can consist of only one person. It’s literally a place where one or more people have set up home outdoors in a space that doesn’t belong to them. Homeless encampments can be found just about anywhere. They can be found under scaffolding, in business districts, in alleyways, on beaches, and anywhere else that a homeless person or persons can fit their belongings.

What Type of People Live in Homeless Encampments?

All types of people live in homeless encampments. Some of the residents include people who’ve lost their jobs and apartments. Some residents are former mental patients who don’t have anywhere to go or who prefer to live on the streets. The common factor among all of these people is they literally have nowhere else to go.

What Is the Purpose of Homeless Encampment Cleaning?

Homeless encampment cleaning is necessary because homeless encampments are never cleaned. When you have a large number of people living in an enclosed space and no sanitation facilities available, human waste, garbage, and other trash begins to pile up. Since no one is responsible for cleaning the area, the garbage simply continues to grow. Homeless encampment cleaning requires a team of specialists who will go in and rid the area of all types of waste.

What Type of Waste Is Located in Homeless Encampments?

There are several types of waste located at homeless encampments.

Biohazardous Waste

There are many different types of waste found in homeless encampments, but the most dangerous type of waste is biohazardous waste. Biohazardous waste is any type of waste that contains pathogens that could spread disease to humans. This includes waste like blood, human waste, bodily fluids, and anything else that comes from large numbers of people living in unsanitary conditions. 

In addition to human waste, there’s also the waste that comes from pets that people bring into the camps. Many homeless people bring their animals to homeless encampments. When their animals relieve themselves on site, the waste is usually not cleaned up. Add in the added waste that comes from rodents and vermin, and you’re looking at a major infection risk. 

Biohazardous waste also refers to the drug paraphernalia that’s often found at homeless encampments. The needles and the other drug-related items that the residents use are used, unclean, and usually tossed anywhere after use, raising the risk of disease spread. 

Combustible Items

Some residents of homeless encampments are in possession of combustible items like lighters, lighting fluid, matches, chemicals, and other flammable material. There’s always a fear that any of this material could be ignited, causing a massive fire or explosion.

Trash

Because people in homeless encampments don’t have anywhere to throw out their trash, they frequently keep it near them, or they simply toss it on the ground. This means that there’s a huge amount of trash and garbage lying loose within homeless encampments. This trash attracts vermin and mice, creating all kinds of health hazards. It also results in unpleasant odors that are extremely difficult to remove and that wafts beyond the encampment and throughout the community.

Why Choose Professional Homeless Encampment Cleanup?

Cleaning out a homeless encampment is extremely tough work, and it requires the expertise of people who know how to collect and properly dispose of hazardous waste in addition to navigating their way through encampment environments. When private citizens or volunteers have gone in and tried to help clean up homeless encampments, they’ve had to cut their efforts short once the threat of contamination from needles and other debris became apparent. 

Our teams know how to go inside the camp and remove the debris and biohazardous waste safely. They’re dressed in PPE gear that protects them from contaminants. They’re able to safely pack up and dispose of all types of waste so that the area is once again safe for the community. 

Give us a call if you need help with homeless encampment cleanup or if you have any questions about the process.