Philadelphia Streets Department

Reader Terry (Delaware County) asked: Where I can recycle mercury thermometers? I have three of them.

Autumn leaves are gorgeous , but can add up to quite the mess when they fall. Don't let your yard waste end up in landfills! Here's a few do's and don'ts for this leafy season: Don't use a leaf blower. Leaf blowers may save time, but they release emissions and cause pollution. Do grab a rake! You'll kill two birds with one stone - getting in a good workout, and cleaning up your yard simultaneously. Don't burn your leaves. It's crazy that people still do this - yes it's easy but putting a match to a big pile of leaves produces hydrocarbons that can contain toxic and carcinogenic compounds. Not to mention it's a fire hazard. Read on for more!

Philly's cleaning up!  Both the 'city blocks' & 'vacant lots' are both being judged HARD in Philly this week by two Philly-based organizations. The Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee (PMBC) is in the middle of judging 17 city blocks to wrap up the 2012 "cleaning season" in Philadelphia. The 2012 Clean Block Contest selected finalists from over 6,600 organized blocks which had cleanups throughout the year. Fun stats for this year's beautification efforts include: (Find out more about city efforts & see a before/after, after the jump!)

Your rooms may look beautiful and spankin’ new, but there’s a wee bit of paint left over.  So readers, what can you do with that unused paint cans?

Happy Friday! With only a few hours left of your rainy (and much needed rain, at that!) work day, here's some green links you missed:

Tires are an expensive necessity for your car, as well as a difficult item to dispose of.  Where can you drop off those rubber donuts when you’ve wore off their tread?

Mayor Michael Nutter & the Philadelphia Streets Department announced a new program, "Clean Kitchen, Green Community" campaign today. The goal is to "assess how food waste disposers can help the city work towards its goal of becoming the greenest city of America." Residents in Point Breeze and West Oak Lane are going to participate in a test campaign to measure the amount of waste diverted from landfills by using a garbage disposal. InSinkErator, the world's "leading manufacturer of food waste disposals" is partnering with the city to provide 100 homeowners in each neighborhood with a free disposal & installation by a local plumber. I call Bullshit. Find out why this program isn't as green as advertised after the jump!

Looks like the city is continuing to "Unlitter Us!" - this time with damaged bikes clogging up the racks. The Philadelphia Streets Department announced that they're removing "abandoned' bicycles throughout Center City & surrounding areas starting in early summer.  "Abandoned bikes" are classified as: (find out more, after the jump!)

Philadelphia residents can get involved in the recycling awards and have over 30 opportunities to win - with a grand prize of free groceries for a year! RecycleBank is sponsoring a Sweepstakes running from Sunday April 1st (aka it’s live now) until Saturday, June 30, 2012 to win by recycling.  Prizes include: