Broke in Philly

Residents can get assistance before shutoffs resume next month Philadelphia residents struggling with unpaid utility bills can get help before shutoffs resume in May. The Philadelphia Water Department is hosting Utility Fairs from mid-April to late May to provide one-on-one...

Frustrated with the state of the littered city, six groups are asking the mayoral candidates to commit to zero waste. Philadelphians are tired of littered streets. Plus, it’s not cheap: Philadelphia spends close to $50 million annually to deal with...

Philadelphia Water’s Rain Check program is a free, easy way to help prevent flooding in your home and neighborhood. What is the Rain Check program? Philadelphia Water Rain Check is a program that helps Philadelphia residents reduce their water bills...

Philly resident Matt Wampler and his partner launched the startup to help restaurants learn how to eliminate waste, saving them money and helping them become more efficient in the process. Sustainability and coding wasn’t the original goal. When Matt Wampler...

The city’s overall recycling rate remains at historic lows A year and a half after Philadelphia temporarily suspended separate collection, officials say recycling is no longer being mixed with trash. But many residents reported seeing it throughout the spring and...

The Zero Waste & Litter Cabinet was axed in 2020. Here’s how the Office of Sustainability is running with one piece of the zero waste goal. Since the Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet was dissolved in 2020, responsibilities were divided...

With a mission to “make cleaning up look cool,” this nonprofit is giving Philadelphia’s streets and its mindset a makeover “Brooms up!” It’s an unlikely rallying cry on one of the poorest city blocks in this country. And yet it’s...

“It has risen to a level that has shocked even those of us who are hardcore Philadelphians.” This story was originally published by Billy Penn in partnership with Green Philly through Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on economic mobility....

PWD hosting virtual events in Feb & March to help customers get help Customers burdened by utility bills can get help from one city department. Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) announced a series of virtual events, #UtilityFairsPHL, in February and March...