Trash Me

It’s a sloppy day, and I’m writing of more than the slick streets. Sometime between 9:30 and 11:30 this morning, a pile of trash collected just a few feet north of the corner of Broad and Arch. Possible illegal dumping during brunch hour? If so, the dumpers are brazen – the intersection is a high in police foot traffic. But it’s as if someone opened a trash bag, and now, from seven stories up, I watch litter blow off the pile and roll along Broad Street.

Just as sloppy, the performance by the Center City District employee who, broom and bucket in hand, walked by without a glance. The dismal effort matches the weather accordingly.

This morning I was greeted by the same pile of garbage on Broad and Arch. It appears that the holidays have started early for some, because there was no response from the cleaning powers that be, either. If I only had a webcam…

By Friday afternoon, the garbage pile collecting outside my office window was gone. My first reaction was relief, but then, and oh-so-Philly-like, I thought, “Why wasn’t it taken care of more quickly?”

But I didn’t dwell too long. Later that day I needed to survey some less-traveled areas of Southwest and West Philadelphia, and spent the afternoon on a drive. And while driving, I gained a new perspective on the trash epidemic.

The downtown issues, the stained transit stations, the unconscious littering by citizens: while these complaints are valid, they are often made by those who haven’t seen the real garbage in the city. Such nuisances pale in comparison to more striking litter problems: contaminated soil, piles of tires, mattresses and batteries dumped on sidewalks, rusting construction equipment and rotting wood dumped in empty, dilapidated buildings or in parks, and countless abandoned cars – one I spotted with a tree growing through its windshield. Raw pollution and endless waste. This garbage is more than annoying, it’s threatening; I couldn’t fathom having adults, let alone children, near some of these sites. Unfortunately, these hazards seem part of the streetscape.

I’ll often see (and occasionally make) comments for the new administration, “We need stronger recycling,” or, “less graffiti, cleaner subways,” or, “change the mindset of litterbugs.” Nice suggestions, but after Friday’s drive should be secondary; foremost on our Mayor-elect and MDO-to-be’s trash agenda should be the issues above. The "life-altering" litter. A pile of batteries wouldn’t last 48 hours in Center City, but Friday I found one buried under debris at a park and another stacked at the end of a sidewalk in a residential neighborhood. That's dangerous, and the need for assistance is critical: it's not a matter of beautification and nuisance, it’s a matter of safety and life.

This wasn’t my first exposure, but seeing the Philadelphia's dirtiest was a cold reminder that we have more work to do. Honestly, I’ll have to take a few pictures. Downtown again, I sit here typing with a new appreciation for a quick clean-up of the little garbage pile across the street. While it may have taken a day, it is blessing compared to the years it will take to clean other Philadelphia neighborhoods.

I’ll be spending the Christmas season in a town about the size of Reading Terminal Market, where deer outnumber people 10-1. And as the deer are rather responsible, I will have little garbage to blog about. So leaving the litter to Melissa for the next few days, I wish you all a happy holiday.

I am writing you in regards to your "Trash Me"
blog. I too am constantly outraged at my fellow citizens blatant disregard for cleanliness and common decency. I am looking for some advice on how to handle a situation. Across from my South Philly house is a property that is for sale and currently unoccupied. Every week, sometimes the very next day after trash day, there is a collection of garbage bags that begin to pile up against the building. The amount ranges from 2-3 bags to more than 10.

Here is what it looks like:

I have been unable to catch whoever is doing this in the act. Do you have any suggestions on ways to possible catch such an [uncomplimentary descriptive noun]? Also is there any department I can call to complain to other than the city sanitation department? I call them 2-3 times a week and never get any help. I'm hoping maybe you have some suggestions. Help!

Brandon Gray