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MongolianCluster t1_jdcdo4l wrote

When the trash collectors start picking up the litter off the ground, then they can bitch. Until then, they can fuck off.

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DrJawn t1_jdcfhar wrote

Shovel and a broom on every trash truck would save the city

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allthingsparrot t1_jddbfs3 wrote

This always bothered me too. They grab the bags and ignore any loose trash. I'm sure they are thinking (or maybe told) it's not their job to pick up litter but if it were me I'd feel obliged, I dunno.

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DrJawn t1_jddf9nh wrote

They used to have two people follow the truck with a shovel and a broom.

I know they are low staffed right now and having issues and I also understand that there is a weight limit for them so they maintain worker safety which means they wouldn't be picking up huge illegally dumped things but if there were just two people following every truck with a shovel and a broom, litter would get a good elimination once a week on every street in Philadelphia.

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allthingsparrot t1_jddhexo wrote

Yes, I'm not talking large dumped objects and I'm talking pre-pandemic. Things like a Gatorade bottle etc.

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DrJawn t1_jddjqne wrote

Yeah for sure, when I was a kid, there was always a broom/shovel team following all of the trucks

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BigDeezerrr t1_jdd5zh5 wrote

Trash collectors pick up a dumpster right outside my apartment, and a decent amount of trash doesn't make it into the truck. Some hits the edge and falls in the street behind the truck. They always just drive away and leave a small pile of trash in the middle of the street.

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randym99 t1_jddapdx wrote

Film it and tweet it at them and the mayor

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eirtep t1_jddmint wrote

You sure that's the city picking up your trash? a lot of dumpsters I see are collected and managed by companies like WM.

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BigDeezerrr t1_jddq4rm wrote

That's a good point. I'll make sure to look for specific details next time they come around. Whoever it is, it's pretty annoying.

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CHIMPSnDIP88 t1_jddlpcr wrote

Bruh one of them dropped a milk carton when taking my recycling, one of the easiest possible things to pick up, dude was not in a rush, and he just left it there in the middle of the street. So many people, talking Philly especially, just do the literal bare minimum at their jobs.

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8Draw t1_jdd52ev wrote

I gotta assume the reason they're bringing back street sweeping is to account for this.

It's a shitty, roundabout way to get there, but in the end there's no good reason this work should be farmed out to a private company.

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Mike81890 t1_jdd7640 wrote

Working with Philadelphia's municipal services is making me in favor of privatization honestly. I never would have imagined myself feeling this way.

I WANT Philly to handle these sorts of things themselves, but they've proven time and again to be so fucking incompetent. I guess what I'm saying is that the city has broken me and my idealism

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avo_cado t1_jddgccb wrote

How would privatization improve this?

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thetinguy t1_jddn476 wrote

There wouldn't be stupid disagreements about picking up trash. I pay you money you pick up the trash. WM does this for many munis and cities.

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Mike81890 t1_jddhoux wrote

Glitter was working. It was a private organization.

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avo_cado t1_jddjbyj wrote

Sure, on top of normal trash collection

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Mike81890 t1_jddp0f1 wrote

Oh absolutely. I'm not suggested we privatize all sanitation, but the desire to block a private organization from EXISTING in this lane is preposterous.

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hatramroany t1_jddojzu wrote

Glitter allegedly comes to my block once a month (not that I have noticed a difference) because we can’t afford more and they force us to subsidize neighboring blocks. Trash collection comes to our block every week and has maybe been a day late once in the last year.

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jmajek t1_jdcanqd wrote

Seriously lol. Just when I was ready to post for my block smh. I suppose I can have them store the trash in my alley way though

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CerealJello t1_jdckpdr wrote

I don't know how the trash collectors will know the bags of litter were picked up by Glitter or a private citizen. They default pick up the day before trash day, so it will be picked up the next day. You can opt to hold the bags on your own property and put them out the next week with trash pick-up though. Either way, I don't see how they're gonna know. It seems like a silly dispute when it inarguably makes the city a better place to live.

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hatramroany t1_jdcpune wrote

They were making special trips/stops specifically for Glitter pickup. They can just drop them off on any street with trash pickup that day and problem solved. This feels like such a nonissue.

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c4seyj0nes t1_jddv5sg wrote

The article says the Glitter cleanup was scheduled for the day after trash pickup because those are the days with the most litter. So the Streets Dept was hitting the block once for regular pickup then again for Glitter pickup.

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CerealJello t1_jddvfr8 wrote

Maybe that's out of date. I just signed my block up for Glitter last week, and they said by default they come the day before pickup. They give you the option for them to come the day after pickup, but someone on the block needs to hold bags until the next trash day.

Maybe they changed it knowing that this response from the city was coming.

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RoverTheMonster t1_jdcfcwp wrote

I think if you schedule the Glitter cleaning to happen the day before trash day it shouldn’t be a problem

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viaHologram t1_jdd0gs5 wrote

Trash pickup days are the days that are causing a lot of blocks problems. They are paying Glitter to come clean up the blocks after the sanitation crews leave them a mess. (Listen, its also up to citizens to ensure they set out their trash/recycling appropriately to make it so their rubbish makes it into the back of the truck without spilling everywhere.)

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RoverTheMonster t1_jddjx8v wrote

Full disclosure: I’m a Glitter cleaner and IMO — at least where I live and clean — cleaning the day before can make the bigger difference. As you’re saying, it’s how people put their trash out that causes so many problems. When I clean the day before trash day, at least all the ripped plastic bags and paper bags of trash and recycling get consolidated into heavy-duty trash bags so that stuff doesn’t end up everywhere when it inevitably gets blown about. That makes it more manageable for neighbors to maintain their block until they put their trash out next week, too

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all_akimbo t1_jdckf8k wrote

God I hope the new mayor fires the top three levels of management at the streets dept including the spokesperson who said there have been. “significant budget investments” in cleaning up neighborhoods. I’m not defending glitter but is there anything more emblematic of the rat shit attitude in the city government here than the streets “need to see a pilot for that” department

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bigassbiddy t1_jdclan4 wrote

Definitely need an overhaul. I am embarrassed when I have people visiting town.

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courageous_liquid t1_jdd5aim wrote

I've worked in transportation in Philly for nearly 15 years and have worked with and attended hundreds of events with all different levels of people from streets, from interns to Rich Montanez.

I couldn't pick Carlton Williams out of a lineup.

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all_akimbo t1_jddp8ex wrote

Maybe I was harsh. I’d settle for the top two levels. I’m sure there are lots of hard working people in the ranks who want to help things improve, I didn’t mean to slate them. Also the electeds deserve as much if not more derision

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bpousley t1_jddk28v wrote

I'm CEO at Glitter and thought I'd clarify a few things the article misconstrues:

Glitter cleans 175+ blocks every week with direct resident and business support and this doesn't stop that work. The union complaint only affects a small pilot program we had to coordinate for pickup of collected litter after trash day. We now must work directly with neighbors to store the collected bag on the block until the following trash collection.

Good news: Glitter continues to work everyday with neighbors to solve the after trash day mess left by the city. We're just now forced to do it by ourselves!

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sluman001 t1_jddpdf2 wrote

What if we scheduled a block for the day before or the day of trash collection? Can they just leave the bags as if it were from a normal residence?

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bpousley t1_jddxd3f wrote

Yes, we either clean blocks the day before trash day and place bags curbside for regular curbside collection. Or we coordinate with neighbors on a block to do after trash day cleanups and securely store the bag with a neighbor until the following week.

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tough_ledi t1_jdeoh2x wrote

Why doesn't glitter just develop a part of the program where it picks up the trash bags at the end of each day to haul directly to the dump? I understand why the union has issues with the union members handling trash outside of its agreed-upon terms and conditions. So glitter could just get a pick-up truck and go around and grab the trash from designated areas itself, eh?

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bpousley t1_jdet3fh wrote

We've certainly considered it. But we prefer to keep fewer trucks on the road, keep costs low, and hold the city responsible for the litter and trash caused by their lack of good services.

But it's definitely an option!

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LowPermission9 t1_jdhekvc wrote

This really should be the responsibility of the businesses that generate so much trash with their disposable packaging. Many municipalities cannot keep up with the mountains of trash generated every single day. I agree that sanitation should be a public service, but it’s not the city that is generating all of the garbage.

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tough_ledi t1_jdhtk36 wrote

The article states that businesses that generate a certain amount of trash must pay for a private company to collect their trash, and that the city does not do it for them.

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tough_ledi t1_jdexb4k wrote

Hmm. I doubt that a few additional trucks would make that big of a difference to anything in Philly or really anywhere in America. I also think that maybe then the org should just go into lobbying, if it's really just about holding the city accountable. There is a creative solution here that involves not having the contracts of city (& tax payer funded) unionized workers' contracts violated, whilst also not creating a culture war of for-profit private organizations pitted against the city government.

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jengibredia t1_jde4zh0 wrote

What is this "union complaint"? How does it affect the program?

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bpousley t1_jde8mjy wrote

Union complaint is opaque and in front of the Labor Board as we speak. They have raised objection to the city coordinating with us in any way beyond regular curbside trash collection.

So this just means we need to continue working directly with neighbors and businesses to manage the bags on the block and should not expect any coordination with sanitation to help resolve neighbor concerns.

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Kamarmarli t1_jdermfd wrote

BillyPenn.com does not always report accurately.

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Leviathant t1_jddg3zu wrote

For six years, I've been voluntarily doing what Glitter pays people to do. Typically ~1/4 of the trash I bag is stuff left behind from municipal pickup.

The street trash issue is multi-generational & the city's solution is ripe for disruption.

Glitter monetized the process of activating regular neighborhood cleanups and I'm actually not mad. On extra bad days (think: diapers, needles, piss bottles) I think about Patreon/GoFundMe. But I never really follow through because, candidly, it's not my job and I don't want it to be my job.

On weeks where I've actually swept the street with my fucking push broom, our street corner looks cute - to me, it's an excuse to get outside, and I've met a bunch of my neighbors this way.

But hey let's hold out for an un-scalable job expansion to pay reluctant employees to half-ass it. Great.

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hatramroany t1_jdch120 wrote

Okay so let Glitter workers unionize. Problem solved.

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TheFAPnetwork t1_jdcc263 wrote

Seems like unions hold a lot of the city back

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MRichards18 t1_jdcj9ib wrote

Id rather have a union of actual workers have power than an overlord politician with soft hands making decision for workers. Unfortunately unions are needed.

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TheFAPnetwork t1_jdeh3w4 wrote

I don't see where a union is needed. You mention overlords but yet there's union reps and bosses.

I mean if workers rights are in question, wouldn't it be nice if workers were educated on their rights? Those rights aren't upheld by any law that has consequences when those rights are violated?

No one can give a solid answer as to why unions are needed.

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CockercombeTuff t1_jdcm9hh wrote

Are needed to do what? Tell the politicians what to do? Handpick the politicians that the voters get to choose from? Why do you want union leaders, who are not answerable to voters, to have control over city politics and over the needs and demands of the public at large?

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TheFAPnetwork t1_jdct3mp wrote

I too have a very strong opinion about unions. None of it nice.

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jengibredia t1_jde5ihu wrote

This attitude is why the US is fascist run by capitalists these days

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Hib3rnian t1_jdcgahq wrote

"..hold a lot of the city "Hostage""

I think the word you're looking for is hostage.

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ThankMrBernke t1_jdcs7u7 wrote

Me normally: "I'm a good liberal"

Me when shit like this happens: "They must get back to work"

Fucking unions, man

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nankles t1_jdctalx wrote

As Phil Ochs said:

In every American community there are varying shades of political opinion. One of the shadiest of these is the liberals. An outspoken group on many subjects, ten degrees to the left of center in good times, ten degrees to the right of center if it affects them personally.

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PhillyPete12 t1_jdd4d38 wrote

I’ll give the conservatives props for consistently holding out of date and close minded opinions

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bushwhack227 t1_jdgl591 wrote

Phil Ochs was a leftist, not a conservative. The above quote was the intro to his song, "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" which is a leftist critique of liberals, in the same way leftists like Sanders are critical of Pelosi, for example.

The distinction between liberals and leftists is not something that's widely understood. I would argue liberals and conservative probably have more in common with each other than do liberals and leftists. Liberals, like conservatives, believe that capitalism can be used to solve all or most problems.

The best example is probably healthcare policy. The liberal solution is Obamcare, which is very much a market-based system. The leftist solution is Medicare for all at the very least, or even an NHS-style system where practitioners are either govt employees or essentially contractors.

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jengibredia t1_jde59nl wrote

That's what bureaucrats want you to think, always pointing fingers at the union when, more often than not, it is the company refusing to treat workers right and punishing everyone for workers unionizing then they point their fingers at the union.

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KenzoWap t1_jdcaftm wrote

Union labor dispute. Imagine my surprise.

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RoverTheMonster t1_jdcf6pk wrote

>Even when dealing with non-profit business improvement districts (BIDs) that do neighborhood street cleaning, the city tries to avoid picking up privately collected trash, said Bryan Fenstermaker, CEO of the City Avenue Special Services District and a member of the Philly BID Alliance. As a result, BIDs that collect substantial amounts of litter often hire private haulers at their own expense.

Hmm…I wonder if this will lead to more scrutiny of how much trash BIDs are collecting/bagging for city pickup. I’m thinking of the FCDC on Girard in Brewerytown, for example, which collects probably dozens of bags worth of trash between College Ave and 29th M-F of each week

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Mike81890 t1_jdd7c6a wrote

That's fucking infuriating. "tries to avoid picking up privately collected trash."

So we'll leave it on the street. Great.

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psc1919 t1_jdfaigo wrote

Nobody seems to be pointing out that the city is ending this because of a union grievance. The city tried something new to solve a real problem and the union used its contract/the law to block it. Please share the blame and recognize that in some cases the union’s interest don’t align with residents’ interests.

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edwartising t1_jdd6n3j wrote

Commenting because that article made things sound quite confusing and I am a subscriber and personally know the awesome Glitter team. The program that is on current pause between Glitter and the Streets Dept is only for 45 blocks where they coordinate with the city to have glitter pick up trash collected after a general trash pick up day. Obviously, that would be ideal. However, Glitter is still cleaning those streets and many others by having the street trash they gather picked up on general pick up. Hopefully, they resolve the issue since the city knows that one of the big causes of litter is the current way general pick-ups work.

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Gobirds831 t1_jdcxryt wrote

How is this group any different than the center city district.

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Chaluliss t1_jdds2j6 wrote

TBH I just live in Philly and am not invested in the local politics so my opinion is really just that of someone who is living here now but intends to leave in the future. But this city is nasty and ugly and the garbage is one of the top reasons why. The lack of self care built into the city is exactly why I want to leave too. Fuck spending my life within a culture of negligence.

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imnottrying t1_jdcemta wrote

People need to be responsible for their own litter. It’s one thing to have a lot of transitory people in certain areas but it’s literally grown adults littering in their own neighborhoods. There’s zero chance getting a compnsy to pick up litter will affect anything. It will likely make it worse because people already think there’s people picking it up. There needs to be a cultural shift. This is maybe the most disgusting thing about Philly and it makes the city look worse then it is.

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tough_ledi t1_jdeoot4 wrote

A lot of the trash on the streets is just trash that fell out of (non standardized sized) trash cans during trash collection.

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LowPermission9 t1_jdhf8sh wrote

The businesses that generate the future garbage in the first place with their styrofoam and plastic containers should bear some of the responsibility of cleaning up the neighborhood streets where their packaging ultimately ends up.

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taskermorrisrider222 t1_jdj859s wrote

My mom supplements her social security income with Glitter, paying her almost $25/hour.

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