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A popular proverb notes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” During Saturday’s Philly Spring Cleanup, thousands of volunteers tweaked the saying, proving that one man’s, woman’s or child’s rubbish is everyone’s nuisance. For five hours, more than 100,000 dedicated denizens enhanced their confines, taking to the streets to defeat debris.
Representing almost 10 percent of the City’s beautification sites, South Philadelphia had its residents’ civic pride fully revealed, with each of its sections tackling at least one task. A brisk morning evolved into a mild afternoon as participants spruced up their communities and explained the joys of recycling.
Those tending to West Passyunk united to tidy up 18th to 24th streets along Snyder Avenue. Those blocks comprise part of the area’s boundaries, which run from 18th to 25th streets from Mifflin Street to Passyunk Avenue, and contain numerous stores and remnants from those establishment’s offerings. With Andrew Pinkham, president of the West Passyunk Neighbors Association, at the helm, the helpers gathered at Café con Chocolate, 2100 S. Norwood St., to plot their endeavors.
“West Passyunk seems like the last frontier for modification,” Tom Hawthorne of the 2100 block of South 18th Street said while Pinkham unloaded recycling bins.
Hawthorne yearns for the area’s inhabitants to be as passionate about their turf as the residents of Bella Vista, his most recent locale, are about their stretch.
“It seems places like Center City and Bella Vista have matters under control,” he said. “This spot needs more of an active mindset, more inspiration.”
Enter Pinkham. The resident of the 2000 block of South 19th Street has headed the civic for a year and aims to rid the area of refuse.
“Many people make good efforts, but sometimes the debris can become overwhelming,” he said, adding papers pollute the pavements regularly.
To staunch all stench and exile eyesores, he applied for a corridor beautification and improvement grant through the City’s Department of Commerce. The endowment would allocate at least $30,000 for twice-a-week cleaning services for all storefronts and street ways along Snyder. Pinkham expects word by June.
He did not need a five-figure bequest to inspire eagerness Saturday. A table trumpeting the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards Program greeted passers-by, who could receive a bin for joining the initiative that offers participants points good for rewards such as magazine subscriptions, gift certificates and discounted items. Other members toted massive brown bags sporting WPNA stickers for collection, with half of the containers going for garbage and the rest welcoming recyclables.
“Let’s tackle the major intersections,” the enthused Pinkham said.
Splitting into three groups, the attendees wielded brooms, rakes and shovels to combat the crud.
“I saw a volunteer ad on our bulletin board, and I thought this would be a good chance to help the area,” Brian Muller of the 300 block of McKean Street said.
He and two colleagues represented Target, 1 Mifflin St., one of the day’s three chief corporate supporters.
“Coming out was kind of a no-brainer for us,” Jessica Gould of the 2200 block of South Lambert Street said of having her mate Peter Curran and their 20-month-old daughter Helen Curran in tow.
In her third cleanup, Gould, whose first assignment yielded many recyclables and wet papers from the previous day’s rain, participated because of disdain for uncleanliness.
“I also know the City lacks resources to tend to everything, so I feel we should help to clean,” she said.
The City retrieved the bags shortly after the 2 p.m. conclusion, with the carriers helping to remove more than 1.2 million pounds of trash and to salvage 150,000 pounds of recyclables citywide.
“We want interest to be constant,” Pinkham said. “We need everyone to care.”
Less than a mile away, Newbold residents converged at Ultimo Brew, 1900 S. 15th St., for bins and grins.
“The turnout has been great,” Jim Resta, president of the Newbold Neighbors Association said of his organization’s contribution.
Last year, Resta and many of the group’s 300 constituents cleaned much of their expansive tract, which extends from Broad to 18th Streets and from Washington to Passyunk avenues.
“This time, we felt we would be a point of activity,” the resident of the 1500 block of Tasker Street said of the location. “We are encouraging others to go out and tend to their blocks.”
His allies distributed 150 of the day’s 3,750 bins, entered 70 people into the recycling program and collected more than 100 bags of trash.
“This looks interesting,” Juan Acevedo of the 1700 block of Moore Street said as he watched residents walk away with information and shiny blue receptacles. “It makes me want to become more environmentally aware.”
Mayor Michael A. Nutter, the day’s architect, did not hear Acevedo’s words, but he likely would have found them delightful. The incumbent began the cleanup shortly after taking office in 2008 and started the day at 9 a.m. in West Philly. Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, named Philadelphia the Great American Cleanup 2011 kickoff city, so Nutter visited a handful of sites to boost already-high morale and to reiterate the day’s theme, “Keep Up the Sweep Up.”
Arriving in Newbold shortly before 11 a.m., he donned a Phillies hat and a Philly Spring Cleanup T-shirt. He and wife Lisa mingled with the organizers and the recycling enthusiasts, eventually entering the establishment for lemon pound cake and hot chocolate. Street side, he helped to sign up residents for the recycling program.
“I think I cleared your backlog,” he said of rapidly diminishing the wait time.
In August, the City expanded its recycling program to include all plastics. With so many bins finding their way into Newbold homes, the recycling boom, which Nutter deemed a “fascinating element” of his administration, should thrive even more.
“Recycling protects the environment, leads to community organizing, creates jobs and makes money,” he said, the final point referring to the City’s receiving $50 from Waste Management Inc. for every ton of recycled plastic.
The second point especially appeals to Cara Ketchem.
“We are interested in developing community pride,” the civic’s cleaning chair and a resident of the 1900 block of South Bouvier Street, said of events like Saturday’s. “If we stress the importance of greening the community, we can bring about lasting change.” SPR
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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