It’s been a year since sanitation crews began picking up trash twice a week in Center City and South Philadelphia. Starting Jan. 5, the city will be expanding the program to North Philadelphia.
Twice weekly service will launch within the boundaries of Vine Street to Hunting Park Avenue from Broad Street to the Schuylkill River, and Vine Street to Glenwood Avenue from Broad Street to the Delaware River.
Carlton Williams, the Director of Clean & Green Initiatives, said the program has been a success. In 2023, the litter index average was 1.50, scoring “Little to no litter” on the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Detailed Litter Index Rating Matrix. The litter index average is currently 1.05.
There are other signs the program is working.
“In 311, we’ve seen as much as a 22% decrease in the amount of phone calls related to illegal dumping here in South Philly,” Williams said.
Some residents said they have noticed a difference.
“I feel like the streets are cleaner,” Reva Swiedler, who lives near Graduate Hospital, said.
The city has hired 60 more people and bought 20 more trucks to handle the expansion, Williams said. It’s part of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $19 million investment in the program.
But the twice weekly program hasn’t been without its challenges. Some residents were unaware of the collection schedule and put trash by the curb either too early or too late, Williams said.
“I think that was one of the concerns in the beginning of this program that the residents weren’t aware that we had the second collection,” Williams. “So we’ve done a tremendous effort by setting up community meetings in every part of North Philadelphia so that we can let residents know when this is occurring, what they need to do, understanding the rules and regulations of the program.”
The next meeting is Thursday 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Shissler Recreation Center in Fishtown.
