BATON ROUGE — In an effort to address public health concerns related to homelessness and drug paraphernalia, East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome has contracted with Xtreme Cleaners, a biohazard cleanup company, to help in cleaning hazardous areas across the city.
Larry Douglas, the President and CEO of Xtreme Cleaners, explained how the project is going and what steps are being taken to keep the public safe while treating the homeless with care and respect.
“We’ve recovered over 20 syringes, crack pipes, and other drug paraphernalia. These items pose a significant health risk to the public. We’re here to ensure that these areas are safe for people to walk through and that the city is free from these high-risk materials.”
The cleanup effort spans several locations throughout Baton Rouge, with a focus on areas around 19th, 14th, 10th streets, as well as the O’Neal Lane area and under I-110, which is the farthest location the team is working on.
“Law enforcement is on-site at every cleanup we do, as per our contract,” Douglas said. “They work directly with the individuals living in these areas, offering resources and shelter options. Most of the officers know these individuals by name, and they’re trained to help them explore alternatives.”
Despite the outreach, many of the individuals living in these areas have declined the resources provided by the city, choosing instead to remain in their current situation.
“I really don’t know why they decline. Even people who live in houses make their own choices. It’s a complex issue.”
The biohazard team faces several safety hazards during their cleanup efforts, particularly from uncapped syringes scattered in the dirt and human waste, which can carry diseases such as hepatitis.
“The biggest hazard for us is the uncapped syringes. We’ve maybe found two or three that are capped; the rest are not,” Douglas noted. “We have to be very cautious, using special gloves and sharp containers to safely handle them. Our team also goes through a job safety analysis (JSA) to list the hazards at each site and take precautions like wearing helmets to protect against steel plates and screws that stick out in these confined areas.”
The project, which began a few weeks ago, has been a large-scale, multi-agency effort, involving the Mayor’s Office, DOT, law enforcement, and community outreach. Xtreme Cleaners is ensuring that the process is carried out humanely. “We want to treat them with dignity and empathy. If they don’t have anything to carry their belongings in, we give them bags,” Douglas said.
This isn’t Xtreme Cleaners’ first time handling such a project. The company previously completed a similar operation in New Orleans, where they recovered over 9,000 syringes. Their experience has helped them manage the current cleanup efforts in Baton Rouge efficiently.
Douglas emphasized that all individuals impacted by the cleanup were given at least 48 hours’ notice, in multiple languages, to ensure that they were informed and given time to make alternative living arrangements.
“Everyone’s trying to work together to make this a better city.”
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