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Trash & Recycling

April 5th is the Philly Spring Cleanup! Mayor Nutter and the City of Philadelphia will be supporting a citywide cleanup effort, including one in Passyunk Square to coincide with our monthly volunteer cleanups.

Join us on April 5th at 9am at Gold Star Park. To register, sign up at www.phillycleanup.com or 215-683-CLEAN. For more information, email Christine at christineknapp@yahoo.com

Get involved in the Trash and Recycling Committee by attending our meetings on the third Monday of every month at 7pm at the Police Station at 11th and Wharton.

Trash Information

City Trash Collection information website
and Customer Affairs hotline: 215-686-5560

Collection Day
http://www.phila.gov/streets/trash_collection.html
Everything you need to know including which day is your collection day, set out times, proper containers, bulk items and more

Trash should be placed out between 7pm the night before and 7am the day of collection. To avoid additional litter problems, please put out your trash in a sturdy container with a lid. Please also remember that after a bank holiday, trash service will be delayed by a day.

Report illegal dumping at 215-685-3097

The Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee organizes approximately 6,300 block captains around the city to help with block cleanings and neighborhood beautification. To learn more, or to sign up to become a block captain, call 215-685-3981.

Recycling Information

• City Recycling information website: http://64.78.36.115/res_benefits.asp

• Collection Day-
Recycling Collection is every other week on the same day as trash day. To find out whether you are a blue week or a green week click here

• Single Stream-
All of South Philly now receives single stream recycling- which means you can put all your recyclables, including plastics and cardboard, in one bin.

• Materials

Accepted materials in single stream include:

  • Paper- junk mail, newspapers, office paper, lightweight cardboard such as cereal boxes, magazines
    Aluminum and tin cans
    Glass jars and containers
    Plastics #1 and #2- mostly beverage containers
    Corrugated cardboard- flattened and not contaminated with food waste
  • Bins
    You do not need a city issued bin in order to recycle. Any sturdy container less than 20 gallons can serve as a recycling bin- just mark it clearly with the word RECYCLING. Or call the Recycling Office at 215-685-RECYCLE request a RECYCLING sticker to put on your own bin.

    If you want a blue bin, you can pick one up from a city sanitation yard at one of these locations: http://64.78.36.115/res_getbin.asp

    Feel free to contact Christine at trash@passyunksquare.org if you need help acquiring a bin.

    Fines
    Recycling is mandatory in Philadelphia and residents who do not participate can be subjected to fines. City SWEEP officers occasionally do inspections and can levy $25 fines to residents who are found with recyclables in their trash.

    Litter Information

    Litter has many negative impacts on our community. Litter clogs up our storm drains, worsening the flooding problem in the neighborhood. The presence of litter on streets reduces property values. Like graffiti and broken windows, it also sends the signal that our neighborhood is unsafe- inviting drug dealers and other criminals into the area.

    How can you help fight litter?

    1) Clean up your street- Make an effort to pick up trash in front of and around your property. Set an example for your neighbors and encourage them to sweep their property too. Teach your kids not to litter.

    2) Join the PSCA volunteer cleanups on the first Saturday of every month and attend PSCA Trash and Recycling Committee meetings on the third Monday of every month. You can also donate money to the Trash and Recycling committee to help pay for professional street cleaning service.

    3) Put a No-Circular sticker on your property. One of the major sources of litter are restaurant flyers and other circulars. By putting up a sticker, you can cut down on the chances of those flyers becoming street litter. To get a form, call L&I at 215-685-3731 or fill out this form and mail or fax it in.

    4) Donate to the Passyunk Square Civic Association to help us pay for anti-litter efforts, including paying for professional street cleaning