PHILADELPHIA – The Office of Clean and Green is advancing Mayor Parker’s One Philly, United City Cleaning Initiative by continuing the One Philly, United City Citywide Cleaning Program.  Building on the momentum of the historic initiative where over 61,000 quality-of-life services were completed across the city, the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, in partnership with various city departments, quasi-governmental agencies, and nonprofits, continue efforts to tackle persistent quality-of-life issues such as litter, illegal dumping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, vacant lots, and nuisance properties. Since November 4, over 500 blocks and more than 200 vacant lots have been cleaned.

Thanks to the success of the citywide cleaning this summer and the diligent efforts of each department’s employees, the One Philly, United City Citywide Cleaning Program is now standard operating procedure where detailed cleaning will take place in every neighborhood twice yearly. Utilizing a proactive, intergovernmental, holistic strategy that addresses every quality-of-life service from illegal dumping remediation to graffiti removal city departments continue to support Mayor Parker’s vision to make Philadelphia the Safest, Cleanest, Greenest big city in the nation with Access to Economic Opportunity for All.

The program is again operating on a 13-week schedule, from November 4, 2024, through January 27, 2025. Crews are working in reverse order of this summer’s cleanup to align with the Sanitation Department’s Fall Leaf Recycling Program.

“History has demonstrated that efforts from a one-time cleaning of the entire city cannot be maintained alone. Preventive measures, enforcement and support from residents and businesses to keep their areas clean is necessary to sustain cleaning efforts,” said Carlton Williams, Director of Clean and Green Initiatives. “The fall season is a perfect time to do another citywide cleaning because fallen leaves can exacerbate litter conditions and clog sewer drains. By aligning the fall Citywide Cleaning and Greening Program with the Leaf Recycling Program we can enhance and expand leaf collection services through manual leaf removal in areas of the city that do not receive mechanical leaf collection. Areas of the city with significant tree canopies will receive additional support capturing fallen leaves.”

Full-Service Cleaning Plan

The One Philly, United Citywide Cleaning and Greening Program is supported by more than a dozen government agencies:

• Office of the Mayor
• Office of Clean and Green Initiatives
• Department of Sanitation Department
• Community Life Improvement Program
• Commerce Department’s Taking Care of Business
• Police Department’s Neighborhood Services Unit
• Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
• Philadelphia Water Department
• Philadelphia Parking Authority
• Licenses and Inspections
• Department of Streets
• SEPTA
• Philadelphia School District
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

To reinforce the comprehensive cleaning strategy that took place over the summer, crews will continue to utilize the Department of Sanitation’s pre-established collection routes to allow for the cleaning of each neighborhood. Departments will continue to work collaboratively to create a government every resident can see, touch, and feel. Cleaning teams will work, in tandem, in each sanitation district until all neighborhoods are cleaned. Litter and trash are most visible on trash and recycling days. Cleaning teams will be assigned to a route and will be scheduled to work a day behind the areas trash and recycling collection day to maximize impact.

The full-service cleaning plan has several components:

1. Notification:

• Residents, neighbors, and businesses can follow the cleaning schedule at org
• Block Captains can contact the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee (PMBC) for literature and other related information.
• Volunteers can view opportunities to participate to “Join the Fight” against litter and illegal dumping at org.

2. On the day following trash collection the Sanitation Department will immediately deploy cleaning teams made up of laborers, equipped with brooms, shovels, weed trimmers and air blowers to clean up the trash and clear fence and curb lines littered with trash. Once the hand cleaning is completed the Sanitation Department will deploy mechanical equipment including flushers and blowers to remove debris and clean the streets thoroughly.
3. Staff will leave notices to residents that their blocks have been cleaned and offer additional information about prevention, beautification, and sustainability. All residents will be encouraged to keep their block clean and join the fight against litter and illegal dumping by participating in the City’s cleaning, greening and beautification programs that will be available on the Office of Clean and Green’s website.
4. On the following day after neighborhood scheduled trash collection, SWEEP Officers will patrol the area giving warnings and citations for deliberate violations and offer additional information to address nuisance violations. SWEEP officers will also patrol the commercial business corridors to ensure that businesses are following streets department regulations specifically regarding dumpsters, litter free sidewalks and proper trash containers for takeout vendors. SWEEP Officers will patrol prior to trash collection.
5. The Sanitation-led cleaning program will be coordinated with other City agencies to simultaneously address major quality of life issues and clean additional public spaces in each Sanitation district. This will include:

• Maintenance and repair of vacant lots and removal of graffiti by CLIP.
• Commercial corridor cleaning by the Commerce Department’s PHL Taking Care.
• Deep clean neighborhood parks and rec centers by PPR.
• Cleaning and lawn maintenance at between neighborhood schools by SDP of Business program; facilities teams.
• Inspection, cleaning, sealing, and enforcement of nuisance properties by L+I.
• Removal of unregistered and abandoned automobiles by PPA and PPD.
• Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) and inlet maintenance by PWD.
• Pothole paving by the Streets Department.
• Transit station cleanings by SEPTA

Each agency will be charged with tracking data and capturing the work performed so the

city and partners can have a full view of the results of this effort. All the above initiatives will be mapped and visualized at officeofcleanandgreen.org.

Residential District Cleaning Program

The fall edition of the Citywide Cleaning initiative will serve as a complement to the Residential District Council Cleaning Program highlighted in Mayor Parker’s One Philly, United City Citywide Cleaning Budget. In September the program was implemented allowing for dedicated crews to be assigned to each of the 10 Councilmanic Districts to address small-scale litter conditions and provide support to community-organized cleaning efforts. Cleaning teams receive a daily assignment that covers one route per day. There are 65 cleaning routes in each District, to be serviced over the course of 13 weeks. Most areas in the district will receive four cleanings per calendar year through this program and an additional two cleanings through the Citywide 13-Week Cleaning Program.

Cleaning teams perform hand-cleaning operations utilizing brooms, backpack blowers, sidewalk sweepers and weedwhackers to address loose-litter and small debris, leaves, and weeds along curblines and sidewalks. Crews are supported by a mechanical broom and trash compactor. Crews are also collecting data and recording litter indices as they clean. This place-based cleaning, and quality of life improvement initiative works to support Mayor Parker’s vision of creating a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia.