They pick up the used needles and other drug paraphernalia that others leave behind but now the organization We Heart Seattle faces a state investigation for th
They pick up the used needles and other drug paraphernalia that others leave behind, but now the organization We Heart Seattle faces a state investigation for the way this cleanup work is being done.
Andrea Suarez, the group's CEO and founder, said she and her volunteers are protecting the public from coming across this hazardous waste left on city streets.
However, a complaint filed with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries is asking whether the people doing that cleanup are being put at risk. The complaint alleges that volunteers assisting the privately funded outreach group are improperly handling and collecting hypodermic needles and fentanyl-related paraphernalia during homeless camp cleanup efforts.
“I could see maybe somebody filing a complaint, honestly, to thwart our good work,” Suarez said. “It feels like an attack when we're just trying to fill the gaps where the government needs some help.”
Suarez said 2.2 million pounds of trash has been collected since We Heart Seattle was launched seven years ago, which includes hundreds of thousands of needles, pieces of foil, and drug cookers.
State investigators have requested documents from the organization, including its written safety program, procedures for handling bloodborne pathogens, training materials, information about safety meetings, as well as hepatitis B vaccination forms for volunteers involved in cleanups.
According to an L&I spokesperson, any organization using employees to handle used sharps is required to follow the same set of basic rules to protect their workers. Those include documented programs for accident prevention specific to the hazards of their work and communication about those hazards to their workers. There must also be a documented program for preventing exposure to blood-borne pathogens, in addition workers having access to personal protective equipment appropriate to the work.
The investigation could potentially result in fines.
Suarez said We Heart Seattle has safety and separation protocols. Gloves, pickup tools, and high-visibility vests are all part of those plans. Drug litter is separated based on the type of material, she said, and volunteers who are uncomfortable handling it can leave the items for two supervisors who are trained in handling bloodborne pathogens.
“We are doing it properly,” Suarez said.
Used syringes can contain blood and drug residue and can pose a risk of puncture wounds or exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
Crews with Seattle Public Utilities, as well as the Downtown Seattle Association’s Metropolitan Improvement District, are also involved in these types of removal efforts.
Recommended safety practices call for using tools rather than hands to pick up syringes and placing them directly into puncture-resistant sharps containers. Needles should not be recapped, broken, or placed loose in ordinary garbage.
Discarded foil and other non-sharp drug paraphernalia should also be handled with tools and placed in secure containers or heavy-duty bags to reduce the risk of exposing cleanup and sanitation workers to drug residue.
Suarez said We Heart Seattle instructs people to use pickup tools and sharps containers. She said the containers are taken to locations equipped to accept used needles. Foil is collected separately in thick bags or buckets, she said.
Suarez is We Heart Seattle's only employee, with much of the organization's cleanup work performed by volunteers. She said the nonprofit has not provided hepatitis vaccinations to its volunteers and may not have some of the employee disciplinary policies sought by investigators because it did not consider those requirements applicable to volunteers.
The investigation raises a broader issue over the line between volunteer cleanup efforts and workplace safety requirements when civic groups encounter potentially hazardous waste.
“What about everyday citizens?” Suarez said. “Do they need training before they bend down and pick up this awful drug paraphernalia that is lining our streets? I mean, where does it end?”
Suarez also criticized the government for allowing drug paraphernalia distributed through harm-reduction programs to end up discarded in public areas, where she said children, animals, and other people could encounter it.
She called the investigation “an egregious overreach of the state” against a small organization attempting to remove hazards from public spaces.
