Community Cleaning & Greening Community Cleanup Resources

Keep your neighborhood clean with these local networks and tools.

Join a Community Cleanup

Many neighborhood civic associations organize regular community cleanup days. Contact your neighborhood association to learn more.

Every spring NKCDC and a bunch of local organizations join the Philly Spring Cleanup. Sign up for NKCDC news to find out when the next event is happening.

Get Free Cleanup Supplies

Get free tools and supplies for your community cleanup through the City of Philadelphia.

Report Dumping, Needles or Pollution

Report Illegal Dumping

If you see illegal dumping happening right now

  • Call 911. 
  • Provide an accurate address where the dumping is happening
  • Provide the make, model, color and license plate of the vehicle dumping
  • Give a full description of the individuals dumping and the materials being dumped
  • Do not confront the people dumping!

If the dumper is still there when an officer arrives, the police can make an arrest on site. If the dumper has left, please answer any of the officers’ questions and let them know if you have security cameras that may show the dumping. Ask for a district control number to follow up.

 

If you see evidence of illegal dumping after it happens

  • Call 311 or visit Philly311 online to report it.
  • Provide an accurate address and either a photo or a complete description of the materials dumped. 
  • Indicate whether debris is dumped on a sidewalk, street, vacant lot, waterway or park.
  • Use your case number to follow up.

Report Discarded Needles

Kensington Initiative for Needle Disposal has trained workers that can safely remove and dispose of discarded needles. Please report locations with many discarded needles by calling or texting 267-259-7541.

Report Toxic Businesses

Open burning and spray painting is completely illegal in Philadelphia. If you live near a business that is a nuisance to your community, please report their violations, whether they are an odors, smoke, chemicals or a drainage problem.

 

To report illegal burning or uncontrolled industrial spray painting

  • Call Air Management Services at 215-685-7580
  • You can report smoke, noise and vibrations as well as indoor air quality issues like carbon monoxide.
  • Give the name and address of the facility and describe where the problem is coming from.

 

To report a business or dumping site that floods

  • Call the Philadelphia Water Department at 215-685-6300.
  • You can report issues like clogged drain pipes or toxic runoff.
  • Give the name and address of the facility and describe where the problem is coming from.

 

Questions?

Clean Air Council is Philadelphia’s oldest environmental nonprofit. Please call Russell Zerbo at 215-567-4004 x130 or e-mail rzerbo@cleanair.org.

Philly 311

Philly311 is Philadelphia’s system for dealing with a variety of urban problems that are not emergencies. These may include:

  • Street issues like abandoned cars, fallen trees, potholes or traffic signal problems; 
  • Building issues like fire and safety violations, vacant buildings, structures in danger of collapse, or people doing construction without a permit; and
  • Trash issues like graffiti, illegal dumping, missed trash or recycling collection, or messy vacant lots.

You can submit a 311 request by calling 3-1-1, emailing Philly311@phila.gov, or tweeting @philly311. You can also download the Philly311 app.

Philly 311 logo

Other Community Cleanup Resources

CleanPHL
CleanPHL is where the City shares information on its goals to make Philadelphia litter free. Type in your address to see your block’s litter index and read the City’s Neighborhood Litter Control Plans.

Circular Free Stickers
Property owners can opt out of receiving take-out menus and ads delivered to your door. Print, complete and return the city’s Circular Free property registration form to receive a sticker for your front door. If businesses continue to flier your property after your sticker is posted, they can be issued a citation from the Department of Licenses & Inspections.

Not in Philly
Not in Philly is a volunteer-run platform to track how Philadelphians are cleaning up our city block by block—and encourage more people to participate. Commit to cleaning your block!

Cleaning & Greening

Find local resources for sustainable living, join your neighbors for community cleanups, and learn about NKCDC’s commitment to a healthy environment for Kensington, Port Richmond and Fishtown, Philadelphia.

Learn more