Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and the newly established Office of Clean and Green Initiatives outlined an ambitious plan to sweep all neighborhoods of the city of trash through the summer.
A citywide block cleaning program will begin June 3 and last until Aug. 26. The program is designed to address chronic issues affecting Philly's streets, including litter, illegal dumping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and vacant lots.
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Over the 13-week period, cleaning teams will work through each neighborhood to sanitize and tidy up every street. Different neighborhoods will be cleaned each week, starting with Frankford, Juniata, Harrowgate, Kensington, Richmond and Bridesburg on the week of June 3.
Philly residents can check when their neighborhood will get a clean sweep on a document detailing the plan.
"We’ve already begun cleaning neighborhood commercial corridors across the city, and now, Clean and Green will begin cleaning every residential block citywide," said Mayor Cherelle Parker in a Friday news release. "We’re going to deliver on our promise and end 'Filthadelphia' once and for all."
Participating in the "One Philly, United Citywide Cleaning and Greening Program" are more than a dozen government agencies, including the Department of Sanitation, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Philadelphia Parking Authority, Department of Streets and SEPTA.
Parker, along with Clean and Green Director Carlton Williams and multiple city officials, will present a media showcase for the program on Wednesday, June 5.
The city established the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives on May 17 to promote cross-department and intra-agency collaboration to address long-standing quality-of-life issues relating to waste.
The comprehensive plan to clean the streets of Philly will be a major test for the new office, and for Parker herself, who made citywide cleaning a hallmark of her campaign for mayor.