Keeping the streets clean

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by mancat100

Yes, true, but I don't notice nearly that much debris in the streets in other non-Center City areas. There's something about South Philly. It's a great area overall, but so dirty.

Yeah, I think its partly a habit/mindset, but also partly the physicality of the place - the density of land coverage by wall-to wall tiny houses with tiny concrete patio yards and not much space to store garbage...and narrow streets and narrow sidewalks. Lots of stuff just ends up blowing around in the streets.

[Padugan]

In south philly, you have to start with the people. No amount of clean up by the city or individuals is going to help until the animals are taught not to litter in the first place. The lengths people go to to litter in South Philly is mind blowing.

-I've seen "adults" more times than I can count cross a street just to throw their soda can in a storm drain.....

-I've had neighbors who use regular small plastic bags (the kind you get from a food store) for garbage bags and then pile them up next to a light pole.......all week long. By the time trash day comes, the bags (the ones not ripped apart by stray cats) turn into tumble weeds.

-then you have the people who will haul their household garbage a block or two, just to fill and leave it around a public trash can.

-best is the family who had their sewer connection break and felt no need to inform anyone about it. instead preferring to fill buckets with sewer water and dump them in the street.

Have to go after and change the mentality of the ones responsible. All they need to do is take the PPA approach to parking and apply it to litter. Best part is there are already was on the books, no excessive legislation needed. City would be spotless in a month.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by Padugan

-I've seen "adults" more times than I can count cross a street just to throw their soda can in a storm drain.....

I've seen people all over Philadelphia use storm drains as garbage cans so many times. It's pretty disturbing. Seemingly normal people who think that this is actually something to do, and that it's preferable to just throwing your garbage on the street.

[Fern Rock]

There are these things called trash cans. Once upon a time, they were on many street corners in the city. The nostalgia!

This issue ranks up there with having to go to the bathroom in Center City. Even in tourist areas, if you ain't buyin' you ain't goin'.

[sj08054]

The most disturbing thing I've come across in S. Philly as far as trash was when I was driving down on 5th street (near Snyder). I see a front door open. Woman step half way out the door and chuck a beer can onto the side walk. I guess it's at least a can so one of the scrap guy with the shopping cart will eventually pick it.

[KEVIN_224]

Would Pennsylvania having a bottle law make any difference? Going by midtown Manhattan and urban areas like Boston and Hartford, CT, I'm guessing no. (Bottle laws in ME/VT/MA/CT/NY/DE)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by rotodome

South Philly has always had a problem with a lot of trash in the streets.
Narrow streets, narrow sidewalks, tiny lots, not many alleys - trash just has few tidy places to go and a lot of it ends up in the streets.

That's not to say that the Streets Dept does a great job, either... a lot of the time the streets are trashier after they come through than before.

And while I loved being able to park my car on the street for weeks at a time for all the years I lived in Center City (because they almost never made you move it for the very rare street cleanings), the streets stayed pretty dirty.

On the other hand, it's a pain having to move my car twice a week in Brooklyn, but they do clean every street at least twice a week, and if you don't move your car for street cleaning you get a fat ticket and a bright yellow 'shame' sticker slapped on your car right quick.
Which gives me a great idea - Philly should let it's most ruthlessly efficient agency, the PPA, take charge of street cleaning.

Regardless of how it's named, the PPA, is actually a state outfit, afaik. It's not a city agency.

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Regardless of how it's named, the PPA, is actually a state outfit, afaik. It's not a city agency.

Hey, they let the state take over the schools, why not the Streets Dept?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by rotodome

Hey, they let the state take over the schools, why not the Streets Dept?

The PPA is not part of the Phila. Streets Dept. which IS a city agency. It's all rather confusing.

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by kyb01

The PPA is not part of the Phila. Streets Dept. which IS a city agency. It's all rather confusing.

Yes...I was acknowledging this by saying (in tounge-in-cheek fashion of course) that the state (ie: the PPA) could take over a function of the city's streets dept, in the same way the state (ie: the School Reform Commission) took over the formerly city controlled school district.
(but hopefully with better results, of course)