Trash Me

For the past week details have been trickling in about Mayor Nutter’s City-wide effort. Looking to take place the first Saturday in April, the day-long event will bring together community groups, schools, non-profits, block captains and eager residents. Guided by the City, the coordinated day of cleaning will also have refreshments, activities, and possible special appearances and prizes. Hopefully, an official word will make its way into my inbox this week.

Until then, and hoping a deputy mayor stumbles across this post, I ask, “what else?” As in, “what else is on the new administration’s agenda in regards to litter?” These spring cleaning events seem to happen every year or so, and while they are an excellent way to engage citizens, they are certainly not a solution to illegal dumping, commercial littering and hazardous waste. Being patient and understanding that there are many more priority issues being addressed, I have to echo questions of “what else” from various readers: “What else can we expect this year?”, “What else is [Mayor Nutter] going to do other than recycling?”, and “What else is going to happen other than speeches about making Philly clean?”

“What else can the Mayor even do?” The last is my favorite. Ideally, it will get both the administration and readers thinking.

Get your brooms ready: Mayor Michael Nutter has released his Philly Spring Cleanup agenda. The cleaning event will take place April 5th, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., and aims to organize 25,000 volunteers across the city.

Over the next few weeks, I'll bring updates and encourage your participation in this event, but for now the Mayor sums up his mission quite nicely.

From the Mayor’s letter:

“During my 2007 mayoral campaign I pledged to clean up Philadelphia. As your Mayor, I am going to fulfill this promise by reducing the amount of litter and trash that plague our city’s neighborhoods, streets, parks and recreation centers. I have made litter reduction a priority in my administration and am committed to making Philadelphia one of the cleanest cities in America.

On Saturday, April 5th I will kick-off my commitment to a cleaner city by sponsoring a massive citywide Philly Spring Cleanup. Our plan is to recruit thousands of Philadelphians to help clean major sections of our city; to raise awareness about litter prevention; to instill neighborhood pride and civic responsibility in residents in an effort to keep our city clean each and every day."

The announcement continues to lists ambitious goals, including cleaning 5,000 residential blocks and 50 commercial corridors, beautifying 10 acres of Fairmount Park, and removing over 1 million pounds of garbage.

And to reach these goals, the Mayor calls for neighborhood leaders to join the effort immediately: volunteer and site registration is already under way. Block captains, businesses, community and faith-based organizations and dedicated citizens are asked to serve as local leaders, assisting with preparation over the next few weeks and acting as site coordinators during the event. For more information about becoming a neighborhood leader, or for other areas where you can help, contact Carlton Williams, Deputy Streets Commissioner, at 215-686-5470.

During a brief clean-up rally in LOVE Park earlier today, Mayor Michael Nutter announced the details of his Philly Spring Cleanup (April 5th, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.). Highlighting the mission, the Mayor launched Phillycleanup.com, a website dedicated to the city-wide effort. The website provides volunteer information, a list goals, resource locations and registration forms. It’s colorful and easy to navigate, too.

In addition to the announcement, Mayor Nutter, joined by Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson, Philadelphia block captains and a dedicated six year-old, encouraged more activity from the neighborhoods. Those on stage asked Philadelphians to get motivated and get involved, even if for a few minutes a week. Neighbors should come together, teaming up for quick sweeps (a great ice-breaker for those on poor terms) and helping one another to keep the streets and sidewalks tidy. The Philly Spring Cleanup will be a great starting point, but, as Mayor Nutter stressed, while April 5th is the beginning it will certainly not be the end.

I had a great conversation with Phoebe Coles of Keep Philadelphia Beautiful this morning. Among KPB’s initiatives for the spring, Phoebe wants the Philadelphia satellite of Keep America Beautiful to target the most abundant - and often most neglected - form of litter: cigarette butts.

“People have different opinions of what is litter,” she says, and explains how even though the butts are ignored as small and “something common,” they have dangerous effects on water sources and eco-systems. And with the smoking ban in affect, more smokers are pushed outdoors - and that is precisely where the butts end up. It’s difficult to walk anywhere without stepping by a discarded cigarette, intruding upon even the cleanest of neighborhoods.

KPB wants to stop this intrusion, or at least curb it, by implementing Keep America Beautiful’s Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, an initiative being used throughout the nation to control cigarette littering. The program’s website is very user friendly, providing a simple walkthrough for those looking to make a difference. Key components include education, stricter enforcement and advocacy, and the program provides grants for ash receptacles for participating communities. Personal “pocket ash trays,” for that smoker on the go, can also be ordered online.

Phoebe will begin recruiting communities soon. She will also encourage restaurants and bars to be more diligent about patrons throwing cigarettes away, and for such establishments to provide more smoke poles and disposal options on the sidewalks. As this initiative gets underway, you can help Phoebe and KPB by encouraging your filter-flinging friends to be a little more considerate (and possibly fill their Easter basket with a pocket ash tray).

I find this bit of information very appropriate for the first week of spring, since many of you will start venturing into Philly’s park systems for a little fresh air. There is a new partnership that will not only enhance your venture, but provide an opportunity for volunteerism, too.

Recycling is now an option while strolling Philly’s greenest, as Fairmount Park will provide collection at its events. Beginning with the season’s first regatta last week, recycling bags will be available at festivals, non-profit events and races and regattas, sparing unnecessary litter from landfills. The pilot, made possible by Fairmount Park, the Streets Department and Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, collected 760 pounds of material in its first week.

Keep Philadelphia Beautiful is looking for volunteers to help spread the word and encourage collection. From KPB’s Phoebe Coles:

“We are recruiting volunteers to join us on the [Kelly and West River] Drives to message and monitor the collection receptacles for contamination. Anyone wishing to spend a Sunday in the park with great people enjoying youth athletics and encouraging recycling should contact me at (215) 477-0235 or Phoebe@KeepPhiladelphiaBeautiful. Our next regatta is next Sunday, March 30th.”

If you’re looking to enjoy the change in seasons, spare an hour of your stroll and lend a hand to KPB; with the weather improving, I can’t imagine a better way to chip in.

Open to block captains and dedicated citizens alike, the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee will host a rally this Saturday to preview the Philly Spring Cleanup and pump up those doing the cleaning.

The free rally takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., and hosts an information fair, various workshops, refreshments and prizes. It will preview both the city-wide effort scheduled for next Saturday as well as an on-going initiative to promote neighborhood responsibility, not to mention thank those doing the dirty work.

To participate in such dirty work, visit www.phillycleanup.com or call 215-683-CLEAN.