Get out your broom! Philly Spring Cleanup date set

By: Bill Hangley

City officials say Saturday, April 4, will be the date of the second annual Philadelphia Spring Cleanup. They’ll hoping volunteers can help the cash-strapped city keep trash at bay.

By: Bill Hangley
bhangley@whyy.org

City officials say Saturday, April 4, will be the date of the second annual Philadelphia Spring Cleanup. They’ll hoping volunteers can help the cash-strapped city keep trash at bay.

Transcript:
Last year, city officials say 15,000 Philadelphians helped pick up more than two million pounds of trash. This year they say the volunteer spring cleanup is more important than ever. Deputy streets commissioner Carlton Williams says budget cuts have taken a toll on the city’s ability to keep the streets clean.

Williams: “No longer do we have mechanical sweepers to go through neighborhoods to sweep up litter. And so that’s why these types of projects are extremely important. Now we no longer have those resources available to continuously do it on a weekly basis.”

Williams says the budget cuts have hit the departments of parks and recreation as well, making it harder for them to keep up with illegal dumping and vandalism. City officials say they are looking for applications from community groups with specific cleanup projects in mind. They’re also looking for sponsors to help cover the cost of tools, gloves, paint and trash removal.

Listen:
Click on the play button below or right click on this link and choose “Save Link As” to download. [audio: reports20090310springclean.mp3]