Difficult hillside homeless camp location, full of waste, gets a cleanup from Earthcomb in Summerland

SUMMERLAND, Calif. - It's not as visible as other homeless camps along the freeway, but one spot in Summerland has been well occupied and causing an environmental concern.

The group Earthcomb has been involved in a multi-day clean up. It started last week.

Earthcomb is led by Andrew Velikanje and he hires homeless or formerly homeless people who want to work to clean up these types of camps. They are paid $20. an hour.

Some camps are abandoned and have dangerous materials left behind.

The site in Summerland is below the freeway and up from Loon Point Beach.

"This is all just one man's mess over a period.  I would speculate about a decade of trash," said Velikanje.

Discarded waste there can get on to the Union Pacific railroad tracks, culverts and drains or make its way into the ocean as pollution.
"Oh 100 percent all of this would have ended up out there at some point, " said Velikanje.

On site going through the waste it was a toxic mystery or different layers of discarded items and fluids. "Seeing the pipe up top being full of trash and then realize that the pipe on the ground was full of trash too and then to realize the pipe was nearly covered in trash," he said was a tall work order. "Now we see what's under it and it is just more trash, just dirt and trash and more dirt and trash."

The nearest Marborg rolloff dumpster to take the trash is about a mile away. It will be a combination of numerous fully loaded trash bags and piles of cut up metal.
The work has been daunting. To determine the  project is done will be "when we stop finding trash.  Good God that will be a nice day," said Velikanje.
The project is in a partnership with the Summerland Citizens Association. Earthcomb also regularly works with Heal the Ocean.

Earthcomb has been involved in many cleanup projects along Highway 101, in Isla Vista, on the Rincon and at Cachuma Lake.

For more information go to: Earthcombe or Heal the Ocean.

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