Trash Me

Earlier today, Mayor Michael Nutter outlined his first budget, addressing critical needs in economics, education, safety and emergency preparedness, and customer service. Among the highlights, the need to pursue sustainability initiatives and single-stream recycling -contributors to Philadelphia’s standard of life and national image – was emphasized by the Mayor.

From the address:

“Philadelphia has always been one of America’s great cities and part of its charm is its thriving Center City, but we’re also a city of neighborhoods, distinct, quirky but always interesting neighborhoods.

As part of our plan to promote healthy and sustainable neighborhoods, I want to establish Philadelphia as THE GREEN CITY in America, from an emphasis on green construction practices to a national leadership role in the recycling movement.

For too long, Philadelphia has been at the fringe of the recycling movement with a collection rate of just 6 percent. In the coming year we’ll invest $6 million and $25 million over the next five years to create a process that is more user friendly and will increase our participation rate.

In May, we’re going to expand single-stream recycling to North Philadelphia. Initially, this new effort will provide for every other week collection, but by January 2009, we will have weekly, citywide, single-stream recycling.”

Wow. Weekly, citywide, single-stream recycling: if I had to bet on which I’d hear first, that or “Phillies World Champions,” well, it would be a head-scratcher.

Also on the litter agenda, Mayor Nutter spoke on the citywide litter prevention strategy and additional efforts to promote sustainability, thanking Councilman Frank DiCicco for his assistance.

I don't understand why the city does not have weekly street cleaning. Every other mid sized to large city I've lived in or visited has weekly mechanical street cleaning.

When I say this in Philly, I then have to explain: You know, the cars can't park on a street for one day a week so the mechanical street sweeper can be driven down to clean up the gutter and storm grates. This isn't just more sanitary, it keeps the gutters and drains clear and prevents flooding.

I see people in Philly cleaning the storm drains THEMSELVES. People clear the drains with long steel poles they keep for the purpose. This is something you don't even see in third world countries, where hiring people is not expensive.

Why can't the city contract out for street cleaner drivers? I understand that we can't hire more city employees. [But] we have something like $540 million up to $700 million in uncollected property taxes. Why do some people get to not pay their taxes and the city is fine with never having street cleaning?

It's crazy that private organizations have to organize street cleaning, like CCRA, like Citizens' Alliance. It also breeds corruption -- CA was the nonprofit used by Fumo to get things done for his own properties, not just for the South Philly area east of Broad.

I'm searching for the explanation for this dysfunctional status quo: 1. not money -- we have plenty if we just have normal tax collection/foreclosure on appropriate, vacant land 2. we have the ability to contract for it -- that's what nonprofits do 3. the public is unanimous in its desire for it -- regular mechanical street sweeping provides real results that people want.

A clean city is a top three item that an electorate expects from its government. How can anyone visit Philly and be expected to say, "I want democratic leadership like THAT in my home town?"

-Anonymous

On my way to breakfast this morning at the sublime Honey's Sit-and-Eat Restaurant in Northern Liberties, where real estate speculators are salivating at the prospect of new profits, I came across a very odd lot.
Or maybe not so odd.
It's on the corner of Reno and 4th. Behind a chain link fence - sinking into the weeds, is a junker. A very old, very abandoned junker. The earth seems to be reclaiming it. A second car - on slightly higher ground, is also planted in this yard.
How and why can this be? In one of the neighborhoods where the young, hip and many not so young, but hip-ly profit-motivated are making their homes and/or investments?

Adjusting my camera, I waited as two children ran across the frame and out of view. A playground sits just on the other side, as do a school and a housing community, both bustling with family activity. For a moment, I debated whether or not to warn the children to steer clear of the garbage, but I realized they already were doing so; unfortunately, it's obvious this wall of trash has been here for quite some time.

So, focusing the zoom, I wonder what's the more important question: How did this happen, or why is this eyesore still exist?

A City-guided, Philadelphia-wide clean-up is in the works, aiming to involve citizens and promote neighborhood responsibility. And while I love the idea of clean-up campaigns, something like this, this gigantic wall of trash, shouldn't be the responsibility of a handful of residents with brooms and bags. This is hazardous, and one of a dozen similar pictures from the neighborhood. Oozing batteries, chemical containers, shattered glass and splintered crates covered in what I can only imagine is tar are just an example of what is scattered within such wreckage in this Southwest Philly neighborhood.

With the new administration adding duties and engineering clean-ups, I have to wonder who is taking on the wall. Who will be responsible for ensuring community hazards, like this, are responded to as quickly as the trash-strewn commercial corridors or the recycling situation? Because, in my opinion, this is worse than the need for recycling and street sweeping or being responsible: this is, simply put, dangerous.