Hundreds Of Pounds Of Human Waste, Needles Cleaned From Former Homeless Encampment At Echo Park

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A shocking amount of feces, urine, needles and other hazardous waste was collected at Echo Park, where the clearing of a homeless encampment sparked protests.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 25: A sanitation crew is starting to clean up around tents where homeless people had been living next to Echo Park Lake Thursday, March 25, 2021 in los Angeles, CA. A fence was put overnight around Echo Park lake last night and the clean up has begun Thursday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

According to a report compiled by LA Sanitation, 35 tons of solid waste was removed from Echo Park after it was cleared in March.

But digging deeper into the types of waste that were removed, workers collected more than 723 pounds of biological waste. Among the biological and hazardous waste that was collected were 180 pounds of feces, 544 pounds of urine and 30 pounds of needles. Workers also collective corrosives, ignitables and drug paraphernalia from around the park.

Hundreds of bags, boxes and items belonging to the cleared-out homeless residents were also collected and placed into storage, according to the report.

Echo Park was home to a large homeless encampment, and city officials began working to close the park in March, which set off several days of protests from homeless advocates who clashed with Los Angeles police. Police said a total of 182 people were arrested for failure to disperse, while 200 people were helped into shelters.

The cleanup and repair work is expected to be completed this summer.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.