Going
back years, when CCRA leadership asked members what issues were
foremost in their minds, the issue of pedestrian trash was almost always
near the top of the list.
You
said you couldn’t find a place to put that coffee cup, soda can or dog
poop, other than on top of your neighbor’s trash or snuck into an
otherwise empty recycling container.
You
said you were tired of your neighbors leaving that coffee cup, soda can
or dog poop in your trash can or recycling container (especially and
most annoyingly right after trash pickup!).
You
told us that you were tired of the level of trash on our streets and in
our garden planters or window wells – all the things that lend a ring
of truth to the oft-muttered epithet: “Philthadelphia.”
We
listened, and now we acted. Over a year ago, CCRA formed an unofficial
“Trash Force” to explore alternatives for constructive action. We
gathered ideas and best practices from other cities and decided that,
despite local folk wisdom, street trash cans do not create trash. Street
cans give pedestrians options and concentrate trash in receptacles
that, if properly managed, can meaningfully reduce street trash.
CCRA
worked with the Fitler Square Neighborhood Association to identify 12
priority sites in the Fitler/South Square/Rittenhouse area – roughly the
area from 18th Street west to the Schuylkill and Locust to South—and to
place a new city trash can at each. We sought support from Councilman
Kenyatta Johnson and with his help and the help of his staff we worked
out a plan that earned us the ear of the City. Streets Commissioner
Carlton Williams enthusiastically embraced the plan and, on May 31, the
City placed 12 cans wrapped with a distinct CCRA logo and messaging.
The
plan is for a CCRA employee to empty each can and replace the bags on a
regular schedule. We know that some cans fill up more quickly than
others, so the exact schedule will be adjusted until we get it just
right. The bags will either be disposed of by CCRA or, if the schedule
can be coordinated with the City Sanitation Department, the bags will be
tied securely and placed alongside the trash cans in time for normal
residential pick-up. We are also working with select businesses whose
customers and neighbors benefit from the trash cans nearby. These
volunteers will monitor the cans and assist our CCRA team by accepting
some trash bags into their commercial pick-ups. We will be giving “shout
outs” to those businesses who help keep our neighborhood clean.
These
12 new cans are for your use and enjoyment as you walk around our
beautiful neighborhood and to accommodate guests who enjoy our parks,
squares, restaurants and specialty shops. The cans are NOT for
residential trash. If you see people placing household trash in the
cans, politely suggest consulting the Street’s Department residential
pick-up schedule, and let CCRA know if problems persist.
This
is a pilot. We will be assessing its success after the first 12 weeks.
If successful, our approach will be used by the City as a model for
engaging civic groups throughout Philadelphia in a team effort to better
address the challenge of too much trash and too few convenient options
for disposal.
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