Marquis of Debris: Spring Cleanup is taking on jobs

MORE THAN a million pounds of trash were removed from streets and vacant lots during the 2011 Philly Spring Cleanup last April, and the Streets Department is looking for volunteers to help remove garbage, discarded tires and other debris left to fester in neighborhoods since.

Volunteer registration for this year's cleanup opened this week, and the Streets Department is accepting project proposals for this year's event through March 30.

"The Streets Department is looking for projects that lead to long-term sustainable solutions to neighborhood blight and litter conditions," said Carlton Williams, deputy streets commissioner.

There are already 92 neighborhood projects on the Spring Cleanup hit list. To register for one of them, visit www.tinyurl.com/phillycleanup.

To add a proposal from your neighborhood to the mix, visit http://tinyurl.com/CleanProposals.

Although beautifying areas hidden beneath layers of trash and other debris is the immediate impact of the citywide cleanup, the overall purpose is to motivate neighbors to work year-round to keep their slice of the city litter-free, Williams said.

The Spring Cleanup is scheduled for April 14, but there are plenty of chances to help beautify the city's neighborhoods before then.

Neighbors are invited to spruce up a stretch of Tusculum Street, between B Street in Kensington and Mascher Street in Fairhill, on Saturday.

The cleanup, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is hosted by the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Volunteers are asked to call project leader Ray Gant at 215-964-7627 or send him a message at rohproject@comcast.net.

The Water Department is celebrating completion of a "Green Street" at 4:30 p.m. today on 16th Street near Jackson in South Philadelphia.

"Green Streets" are natural stormwater-management systems aimed at reducing the amount of water flowing through the city's sewer system.