Meet the London, Ont., grandmother who volunteers to tackle the city's dirtiest job

They call her "The Needle Lady." 

Armed with a trash picker, a medical grade sharps container and a pair of work gloves, Christine Scott has been faithfully collecting needles, crack pipes, elastic bands and other drug paraphernalia left behind by the large concentration of vulnerable people who started taking shelter in the neighbourhood back in February. 

The Hamilton Road Seniors' Community Centre offers temporary shelter to protect homeless people from the extreme cold. Since it opened, Scott has collected some 15 bags of garbage and over 300 used needles that have littered the area's parking lots, alleys, gutters and doorways.

"What did it for me was walk with my granddaughter and there's a needle on the ground. It's not right. It's not right for the children." 

Businesses supply her with gear

"This is an up and coming area and a lot of money has been put into it," she said.

"I think a lot of money needs to be spent here on mental health and drug addiction."

Scott said a lot of the new businesses that have moved into the area know her because she often sweeps their back alleys and parking lots clean of used needles and garbage. 

Some businesses, such as Summer's Home Hardware, agreed to supply her with trash bags and work gloves to help make the neighbourhood a better place. 

"We supply her with everything she needs to get the stuff cleaned up," said Mike Barker, the store manager. "We want to have a clean safe place. There are two schools within a stone's throw of this business and we're just really concerned about the residents and the kids." 

'She's selfless'

Barker said every garbage day, people go rooting through the trash left out on the street, looking for anything salvageable and make a terrible mess in the process. Thankfully, he said, Scott is there to clean it up. 

"Garbage day is a nightmare for Christine, quite frankly.  Overnight people put the garbage out and it's everywhere in the morning," he said. "She's out picking it up." 

Without her, Barker said, the neighbourhood would be a lot less tidy because there is no one out there willing to do it beyond their own property. 

"She's selfless. She's doing something for the community and not looking for anything for it. We need more people like that." 

The City of London pays for additional clean up crews who work within a 100-metre radius of the Hamilton Road Community Centre and Seniors Centre and since Scott started picking trash in the neighbourhood, city crews regularly go to her house to collect trash.

The needles and other sharps get dropped off at a local pharmacy that's agreed to dispose of the biomedical waste. 

The City of London recommends using safety equipment when picking up needles and washing your hands after you're done. All sharps should be placed in a proper medical grade container and should not be thrown in the garbage, recycled or flushed down the toilet.

Residents with a 300 metre radius of the seniors centre are directed to contact the city's bylaw enforcement department if they have any concerns about needle cleanup in the area.