Seattle activist: People use ‘encampments as camouflage’ for illegal dumping

A citizen activist says trash is piling up in local parks because of “do-gooders and dumpers.”

Andrea Suarez with “I Heart Downtown Seattle” says much of the trash filling city streets and parks is coming from donations from private citizens and social service agencies. She suspects many people are avoiding dumping fees by putting broken down or unwanted items near homeless camps.

People are dropping “food and supplies, home wares, … BBQs, TVs, generators, broken furniture — you name it — into our parks, and using the encampments really as camouflage for illegal dumping,” she explained.

Suarez also says many of the items she’s seen at parks in the area are of no use to unsheltered folks — things like fax machines, old vacuum cleaners, and ironing boards. She also says some of the homeless people are getting more food and clothes than they need.

“It’s truly a drop supplies off and leave without any consideration as to if any of the food or supplies can be consumed by folks that are unsheltered,” she said.

Since most people living on the streets have no way to get rid of unwanted items, Suarez explains, the stuff piles up quickly. In response to the growing piles of trash, the city of Seattle has increased park and street clean-up in recent weeks, but Suarez tells KIRO Radio that Seattle also needs to start enforcing trash and dumping laws.

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She also suggested drug programs that require a needle turned in for each needle given out. And, most importantly, she says people should make sure the items they want to give away are wanted by someone on the street.

“And I always say, please come back in the next couple days and just see how many of those sandwiches end up in the rain, or sogging wet in the bushes, and even eaten by the rodents — I mean, there’s very, very fat squirrels in Denny Park right now,” Suarez said.

Her other suggestion is to take trash with you.

“If you’re going to bring a 24-foot truck full of clothes, and food, and supplies,” she said, “maybe consider picking up that same amount of weight in garbage.”

KIRO Radio’s Diane Duthweiler contributed to this report.