Garbage pile in Northern Liberties sparks anger among neighbors

The triangle at Second Street and Germantown Avenue is emblematic of the gentrification of Northern Liberties: the megapiazza complex is the centerpiece, surrounded by restaurants and sparkling new apartments.

But neighbors say a persistent pile of trash growing every week on the sidewalk in front of one of those new complexes is marring the scene. The post rests in front of a wide protected cycle path, which is separated from the main path. So the waste almost looks as if it is in the middle of the street.

The pile has become a matter of North versus South: the North Liberty Triangle, whose residents place the trash there, and the South Liberty Triangle, whose residents object, are two projects built by the same developer and operated by the same company managed.

“We’re really concerned about rodents and pests,” said Natalie Palencia, who lives in the South Liberty Triangle on Germantown Avenue. “A number of us suddenly have problems with sewer flies. We fear they will emerge from the sewers and flourish among all the piled up waste. I’ve lived here for almost two years and we’ve only had these problems since the mess started.”

Wayward trash is certainly a big problem in much of Philly. But neighbors say the ubiquitous pile, which started this year, remains notable for its persistence, even after city workers clear it away every week. Neighbors have taken to social media to complain, noting that the pile grows back like a lizard’s tail soon after collection. Someone put up a sign that said, “Your one bag of trash sets the trend.”

Waste often comes from plastic bags that break open.

City staff collect it every Friday, but the pile soon returns. Frustrated neighbors say they file complaints with 311. But every time the city crew comes by, those complaints are marked as resolved. Then the pile, visible on a recent weekday, reappears.

The city is working on it

Northern Freedom Triangle is a new 85-unit condo development that offers a fitness center, courtyard, parking, balcony views and commercial retail, according to its website. It is unclear how many of these units place their waste on the pile.

Both the North and South Liberty complexes were developed by Philly-based Streamline, which specializes in urban infill projects. Malvern-based RowCal manages both complexes. RowCal did not respond to The Inquirer’s requests for comment.

Anne Kelly, chief of staff to Councilman Mark Squilla, said the office is aware of the situation and has been working with North Liberty Triangle on a resolution. However, she said the complex and its waste fall into a gray area.

Under the city’s rules, some small businesses and multi-unit properties can choose to have the city pick up their trash and recycling for a fee. Or the owners can hire private carriers. The city offers free weekly trash and recycling pickup for apartments and co-ops, regardless of how many units are in the building.

“This was more challenging than we realized,” Kelly said. “This property is unique in that there are 20 separate addresses on this parcel and it is listed as an apartment, yet has shared exits.”

She is working with the city’s legal department “to determine eligibility for collections and/or designated collection space, as the property with shared principles such as this does not automatically qualify for collections.”

Kelly said the office is working with Crystal Jacobs Shipman, the city’s sanitation commissioner, to “identify the appropriate collection points for this property.”

Waste stored in bicycle shed

South Liberty Triangle, across the street, places some of its trash at the curb, but only on trash day, according to Evan Williams, a board member of that complex’s Homeowners Association (HOA).

He said the Southern Freedom Triangle was facing a similar situation but came up with a solution. Williams said the developer’s original plan called for using unfinished basement areas to store waste. However, the HOA felt that this could lead to rodent, pest or health problems.

So South Liberty Triangle began using a space designated for bicycle parking. The bicycle shed now mainly contains waste that is collected by a private transporter, who is paid by the VvE. Residents will place any remaining trash or recycling at the curb beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday for collection on Friday.

Williams blames the city for not requiring developers to submit plans for waste disposal.

“We’ve really struggled with the waste in front of our building, but the North Liberty triangle complex across the street is much, much larger than ours, and so I imagine they have some of the same challenges, but on larger scale. ,” said Williams. “We kind of created it for our community. Their situation seems to have only gotten worse.”

‘A recipe for disaster’

Williams calls storing waste in unfinished rooms, as the original plan called for, “a recipe for disaster.” But the VvE does not want to throw the waste on the street and therefore continues to use the bicycle shed and the private collection, which costs hundreds of dollars per month.

“When I moved here, they told all 43 apartment owners in our building that the idea was to put their trash out on the street for the city to pick up, which seems completely insane to me,” Williams said. “When we had to rely on city trash collection, our entire sidewalk was covered in trash.”

Williams estimates he has filed 100 tickets with the city’s 311 system to no avail.

“Like a courteous neighbor, you shouldn’t put your trash out there,” Williams said. “They start taking out trash on Friday afternoon, just hours after the weekly city collection, so it stays there for a whole week, falling apart and blowing everywhere.”