Citywide Cleaning and Greening Program

Started:

In June 2024, Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration launched the One Philly, United Citywide Cleaning and Greening Program. Its goal: To clean every neighborhood in the city over a roughly three-month period. The program started last year and now takes place twice a year on a spring/summer and fall/winter schedule.

Progress Updates

Philly’s alley dumpsters could be locked if Center City District meets its ‘clean and green’ mission

Center City District, a business organization, is lobbying City Hall lawmakers and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration to consider changes that would help the group keep its clean and green promises, even in alleys with privately controlled dumpsters.

Relevant Neighborhood
City-Wide

City-Wide Cleaning Program

The program is run by the the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives. It targets issues such as litter, illegal dumping, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, vacant lots, and nuisance properties.

The program operated from May 5 through August 1, 2025. Its progress this cycle can be tracked here. This year, a logo that says “Join the Fight” will be stenciled in areas that have been cleaned.

It generally involves the following process:

  • Notifying the neighborhood through community organizations and media
  • Sending cleaning teams equipped with brooms, shovels, weed trimmers and more to clean trash and clear fence and curb lines.
  • Sending a team of SWEEP officers patrol the cleaned area, giving warnings and citations for deliberate violations

The program is run in collaboration with various city departments, quasi-governmental agencies and nonprofits. This includes the Department of Sanitation, the Police Department’s Neighborhood Services Unit, SEPTA, and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Related News

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker at City Hall, with City Council president Kenyatta Johnson in her background
Philadelphians from eight community focus groups love trash pickup & more trees, but want more trash cans, new parks and greening programs expanded...
Warning signs at illegal dumping hotspots, such as at this dead end of Lyons Place in Eastwick, can only do so much to reduce the problem. Photo by Troy Bynum.
In her first year in office, Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration rolled out or expanded a collection of programs overseen by the Office of Clean...
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA downtown city skyline at dusk.

Solutions Progress Report

The Solutions Progress Report tracks updates on the key issues and initiatives of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration.