EMAIL DETAILS

Despite expansion of Big Bellies, city's in good shape

By CATHERINE LUCEY & EMILY SCHULTHEIS
Philadelphia Daily News

[email protected]<http://www.philly.com/philly/living/green/mailto:[email protected]>215-854-4172

BIG BELLIES are about to get even bigger in Philadelphia.

The high-tech trash cans, which require fewer collections because they
compact waste using solar power, hit the streets last spring at 500 Center
City locations. Recycling cans were placed next to 210 of the compacters,
the first pedestrian recycling offered in the city.

One year in, the reviews are pretty good.

"Honestly I think they've been a real boon to the street," said architect
Jim Campbell, a member of the South Street West Business Association. "They
seem to be working well; there seems to be less stuff outside them. We're
very happy."

More business owners may soon be singing that tune. Another 440 Big Bellies
- dubbed for the company that manufactures them - are being installed this
spring and summer in commercial districts throughout the city, along with
185 recycling cans.

The cans are being funded with $900,000 in city dollars and $973,000 from
the federal stimulus act, said Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson.

The city used $2.2 million in state money to buy the first 500 Big Bellies
to replace 700 wire trash bins. Tolson said the Big Bellies have saved the
city money in manpower hours because the 200-gallon capacity cans only need
five weekly collections, compared with 19 for the old 55-gallon litter
baskets. That means eight workers are now assigned to collect the trash,
compared with 33 previously.

Tolson said the freed-up workers have been reassigned to help collect
household recycling, which has sharply increased since the introduction of
single- stream recycling.

"We would have had to hire people," Tolson said, if those workers were not
available.

A *Daily News *review of 53 of the 500 Big Bellies found that most were
working as expected. Eight of the cans were marred with graffiti. Only three
of 53 that we checked - one on Market Street, and two on South Broad Street
- were full or had a trash door that didn't open.

Tolson said that the city monitors the cans with a wireless system, so it
can quickly tell if there is a problem and an extra visit is required.

"We can tell in the office the capacity of the can. That lets us know if we
have any specific problem," Tolson said.

Carla Puppin, director of the Queen Village Neighborhood Association, said
Big Bellies have enhanced the neighborhood, which includes the eastern end
of South Street.

"I think they have helped us on South Street. It's great to have recycling
containers next to them," Puppin said. But she noted that "we still have the
problem where you get short-dumping next to [some of] them," referring to
illegally piled trash.

Tolson said the city is still fighting the problem of people dumping trash
next to the cans - also a problem with the wire cans - but said it has
decreased.

Still, some residents say they're still looking at Big Bellies longingly
from afar.

Andrew Dalzell, program coordinator for the South of South Neighborhood
Association, said there are no city trash cans in his neighborhood, which
adds to litter in the streets.

"They're tantalizing close and then you come two blocks south, and we've got
nothing," Dalzell said.

"It's a constant battle. I'm here at 19th and Christian every day picking up
stuff. A lot of people come into my office frustrated, dog-walkers
especially."

Tolson said the city has no plans to add trash cans - Big Bellies or wire
cans - in the neighborhoods.

"We're not putting litter cans where they don't already exist," Tolson said.

"We don't necessarily encourage having them in residential areas because
people abuse them and they're used for household waste."


Mike Muldoon

Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC

1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW

Suite 705

Washington, DC 20007

(202) 333-1880

[email protected] <[email protected]>

*P** **Consider the environment before printing this email.**