Toronto city officials say high water levels this spring and summer are washing items such as used syringes, condoms and bottles onto the beach at Sunnyside Park.
The beach is popular with volleyball players, who often play in bare feet.
“I’ve seen a couple of syringes here and there . . . only one of them had a needle in it,” said Ben Somers, who plays volleyball regularly at Sunnyside.
“If they step on (a needle) it could be concerning.”
When Somers and his teammates spot a needle, they take a rake and pull it off of the sand and into a bin.
The city says it has devoted two full-time staff members to patrol the beach at Sunnyside and Sir Casmir Gzowski Park and clean the area of any items that wash ashore.
Anyone who spots debris in the park is asked to call 311.
In May, Lake Ontario’s water level rose to its highest point since June, 1952, largely due to above-average amounts of rainfall.
