By Yianni
Back in January, we reported that the Center City Residents’ Association had ended its privately funded sidewalk cleaning program, leaving dozens of residential blocks in Center City West without the supplemental cleanup they had received for over a decade.
At the time, CCRA said it planned to shift its attention toward resident education, enforcement and closer coordination with city sanitation agencies.
Eight months later, the group thinks it has identified one of the biggest contributors to the litter left behind.
Recycling day.
For much of the year, a small group of CCRA volunteers has been studying sidewalk litter across Center City West, including parts of Fitler Square and Rittenhouse.
They held a public town hall, met with city agencies, walked some of the neighborhood’s most littered blocks and tracked where problems were repeatedly showing up.
Ruth Ranaudo, a CCRA board member who is on the neighborhood association’s trash committee, said one pattern became difficult to ignore.
“When it’s a windy day, those items fly all over the sidewalks,” Ranaudo said.
The problem, she says, is often less about the recycling itself than what it is sitting in.
Paper grocery bags and other flimsy containers can tear, collapse in rain or tip over before collection.
Once cans, cardboard and other loose recyclables scatter down the block, they may no longer be part of what gets picked up.
After months spent observing the problem, Ranaudo estimates that proper containerization could reduce sidewalk litter significantly.
Philadelphia’s rules already require recycling to be placed in an appropriate container, and residents do not need a specific city-issued bin.
Any suitable rigid container can work. City recycling bins are also available through pickup locations.
CCRA has spent much of the year trying to get that message out.
The association mailed information to property owners on blocks where it had identified recurring litter problems and distributed roughly 150 flyers across Center City West.
It has also worked with the Department of Sanitation and other city partners on education and enforcement.
Property managers have also been part of the effort.
That is particularly important in buildings where tenants may change frequently and new residents may simply not know Philadelphia’s trash and recycling rules.
The goal, Ranaudo said, is not to turn the neighborhood’s trash problem into another round of finger-pointing.
“We want to work with everybody because everybody is a part of the solution,” she said.
She also noted CCRA’s relationships with sanitation officials have helped bring additional attention to problem areas in the neighborhood.
For residents, the immediate ask is pretty straightforward.
Use a rigid container.
Secure your trash before putting it outside.
Know the collection rules.
And if a recurring sanitation problem keeps appearing on your block, report it through 311 so there is a record of it.
That does not solve every part of Philadelphia’s litter problem.
Collection, enforcement, property management and street cleaning are all part of a much larger system.
But after months spent studying what is actually ending up on Center City West sidewalks, CCRA’s argument is narrower.
There is one part residents can change immediately.
Use a bin.
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