Puget Soundkeeper Alliance says it has seen worrisome amounts of trash near homeless camps and is concerned about its impact on the environment and human health.

SEATTLE — As homelessness continues to challenge Seattle city leaders, one environmental protection group is asking questions about sanitation for both people and wildlife.

“It is first and foremost a human health issue, and that is something that we are very concerned about, but when we have people experiencing homelessness, living on the streets it does become an environmental issue as well," said Puget Soundkeeper Executive Director Chris Wilke. "I would like to ask the folks at the city who are working on this, are we doing enough to protect the community of people that are experiencing homelessness, and are we doing enough to protect our environment, particularly the aquatic environment to keep the pollution low and disease risk low?"

Puget Soundkeeper leads all kinds of clean-ups around area waterways, including around Lake Union after fireworks shows on the Fourth of July. In some areas where there are homeless encampments, teams find worrisome amounts of trash and human waste. Sometimes those living there help clean up the area.

"I guess my greatest concerns are always going to be for the people who are experiencing homelessness, but beyond that and for the environment we do have a real risk of spreading diseases," Wilke said. "Waterborne illnesses are a big problem worldwide. We have done a lot in the last 50 or 100 years to upgrade our sewage infrastructure, and a big reason is reducing that human health risk of coming into contact with the water. These same health risks for people also exist for wildlife, so we don’t want our otters and seals and birds getting sick either."

Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda is proposing the city spend $3 million next year to establish a "mass shelter tent" to expand the number of available shelter beds.

"The City funds restrooms and hygiene services across Seattle to support people living unsheltered. These facilities are either open to the public or are intended for people experiencing homelessness specifically," wrote Will Lemke of Seattle's Homelessness Emergency Response in a statement.