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.
