Keep Philadelphia Beautiful’s mission is to empower Philadelphians of all ages to care for our natural environment. We believe that a cleaner City is a safer, more prosperous City. To that end, our staff and volunteers provide educational opportunities all across Philadelphia, and spearhead and assist in community beautification projects in every section of the City.
And with Earth Day just around the corner, we wanted to share a few tips about how to care for the Earth every day of the year.
Know the Ins and Outs of Recycling
Keep informed of what is and isn’t recyclable in your municipality. If you’re within the Philadelphia City limits, you can visit www.philadelphiastreets.com to review the comprehensive list of accepted recyclables, as well as other sanitation rules and regulations. Remember Philadelphia friends – no plastic bags in your blue bin! However, many box stores and chains collect plastic bags for recycling!
Have hard to recycle items? Our friends at the Streets Department hold Household Hazardous Waste collection days, and Green Philly Blog (www.greenphillyblog.com) profiles various means of making sure those hard-to-recycle objects have a second life.
Interested in composting and ensuring your food waste doesn’t end up in a landfill? Contact our friends at Bennett Compost (www.bennettcompost.com) and have your compostables picked up weekly for a small fee.
Plan a Cleanup!
Rally your neighbors and plan a cleanup on your block! There are numerous public and nonprofit resources in Philadelphia to help you (check out our resource guide at www.keepphiladelphiabeautiful/resources). And you can always call our offices at 215-854-4000, or email us at info@keepphiladelphiabeautiful.org, for assistance – or just to help answer questions!
You may even want to consider becoming a Streets Department Block Captain (www.philadelphiastreets.com/pmbc) to help make sure your block is clean and green year-round.
Leave That Car at Home
If your destination is within walking or biking distance, why not get some exercise and help the Earth too by leaving the car at home?
Buy Less Stuff
Keep a diary of the items you use every day, and think about what you may be able to (responsibly!) get rid of – and not replace. What single use, disposable items (coffee cups? sandwich bags?) do you use that you can cut out of your daily lifestyle entirely?
Plant a Tree!
Trees keep our air clean, raise property values, save energy, and make us happier and healthier! Sign up for a free yard tree through the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s TreePhilly campaign (www.treephilly.org).
Keep Up on Your Green News!
Grid Magazine (www.gridphilly.com) does a wonderful job of covering green news in Philadelphia (as does Green Philly Blog!), but visit www.keepphiladelphiabeautiful.org/resources for a list of other media outlets focused on sustainability.
