Sharps Containers/Homeless Camps

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Sharps Containers/Homeless Camps
Written By: Whirlwind Clean & Green Team ~ 4/23/2020

We have all seen the Homeless epidemic happening in our beloved cities!  They are smelly, messy and once you peel back the scab, they don’t get any prettier!

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Do you ever stop to think about the personnel that get to clean up after some of these camps, destroyrf wetlands and other protected areas they use as refuge?  Although it’s not a glamorous job, there is a huge sense of pride that goes into restoring nature and remediation of the area to restore natures intended balance after it has been neglected and abused for any amount of time. 

With these camps whether small or large, there is an excessive amount of human waste, hypodermic needles as well as other possible hazards that are encountered during the course of cleaning up these messes.  We try to use mechanical tools to help when possible but when working in protected areas such as wetlands and regulations meant to help keep these areas as is, there is no ability to bring machinery into the jobsite to assist with our efforts.  These cleanups are typically slow going with staying safe being at the top of the agenda with each step and motion made.  We may not be playing with powerlines or doing roadside highway work, but the dangers that surround these types of projects are abundant and could change your life in the blink of an eye!  Even in the course of your normal day to day business at your local shopping center, you may encounter something similar and will need to take the same precautions as we do.  When stepping over a needle, leaving the problem for the next person to encounter and unaddressed doesn’t help anyone.

BLOGPOST_SharpsContainer_04232020Pic3.jpgThink if your small child never encountered one of these needles before and picks it up out of curiosity?  What happens if that child was to accidently poke themselves?  Maybe nothing would happen or maybe everything wrong would!  Why walk by this hazard and leave it to chance?

BLOGPOST_SharpsContainer_04232020Pic4.jpgAll of our crews carry Sharps Containers and are trained on how to properly collect and dispose of hypodermic needles found in the course of our daily routines.  This includes needles in the bushes, corners dumpster enclosures and my favorite, inside the toilet seat cover dispenser left uncapped!  When we see it, we pick it up and so should you.  You don’t need to have an actual Sharps container to collect these hazards.  You can use items with thick plastic such as laundry detergent or bleach bottles or possibly in a clear glass container with closable lid. Sealing the container with tape and labeling as used needles and placing into another plastic bag is also preferred so that the next person that possibly comes into contact with the container is warned of contents in advance. Do not place these in recycling, they are to go into trash only.

Protect yourselves and others around you by doing the right thing!  Give us a Whirl when this becomes a reality for you, we would love to help you clean up whatever mess you’ve encountered!

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