Page 10 The South Philadelphia Public Record • April 15, 2010
I got a flyer in my mailbox last week from Friend of Marconi member Rachel Reilly. It was a “Come One Come All” notice that a major clean up would be taking place that Saturday in the plazas of Marconi and Columbus. I arrived bright and early. Reilly, who recently purchased a fixerupper directly across from the park, was directing a concentrated effort to make the 19 acres of green space a more attractive to be. “We want to do a park plan”, she told me. “The two parks need to be
under one umbrella. We need to do a park plan where we can get path lighting, increase usage, maybe get a dog run and utilize the trash cans.” The trash cans she mentioned are state-of-the-art solar powered BigBelly units. Although it is made in America, BigBelly is reminiscent of a futuristic Japanese robot. Flashing lights indicate when it is full and needs to be emptied. The trash compactors are about the size of a typical 40-gallon garbage can that you might see in public places, but they look more
“The Carpet Contractor II” COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL
Serving Philadelphia & Surrounding Areas for 26 years. On Site Binding - $1.00 lineal ft.
Carpet & Tile Sales, Installation & Repairs
FREE ESTIMATES
215-365-8321
www.phillyrecord.com
2530 S. 69th St. (Behind Thrift Store)
OPE N DAY 6 S
As Always, “You Can Walk On Our Reputation!”
Hrs: Mon, Tues., Thurs., Sat. 10-5. Wednesday & Friday 10-6:30
like a mailbox. Each one can hold 150 gallons of trash, thanks to the automatic compaction powered by the sun. Many are wireless-enabled, which effectively turns them into Twitterers by transmitting brief text messages to a centralized Web site to let owners know when compactors are full. Like many smart green products, they're not cheap -- and they're much more expensive than the dumb product they're hoping to dislodge. It costs about $80 a month to lease a BigBelly, or from $3,000 to $3,900 to purchase one, though those buying in bulk get a discount. They are outfitted with solar panels on the top. The solar panel powers a motor that crushes the trash, which means that pick-ups can be done less often. This ecofriendly, alternative-energypowered, carbon-reducing, American-made, publicspace-beautifying commodity that saves municipalities money has been purchased with stimulus funds. The solar compactors increase capacity by approximately five times compared to
the City’s wire mesh litter baskets, enabling Philadelphia to reduce its collection frequency from 17 times per week to five times per week, and to reduce budgeted staffing from 33 to nine, operating on a single shift rather than three. Reduced collection trips will also substantially cut APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES Applications for Carpenter, Mill/Cabinetmaker, Millwright, Wharf & Dock Builder, Resilient Floor Layer, Lather and Drapery Worker apprenticeships will be accepted by the Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Committee from Monday, May 17 to Friday, May 21, 2010 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. A non-refundable $35.00 administrative processing fee is required. Anyone interested must call 215-824-2303 for further details. NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS The Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund of Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties admits students of any race, color, religion, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions ,policies, scholarship and loan agreements, and any other school- administered programs. Information can be obtained by writing to the Carpenters JATC, 10401. Decatur Road, Phila., PA 19154, by calling 215-824-2303 or at our web site www. carpentersofphila. com.
related fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions. The annual cost of collection with the new system is estimated to be approximately $720,000 which represents a 70% reduction from the old system. Mayor Michael Nutter de-
clared, “Today we are proud to announce the largest deployment of solar powered trash compactors anywhere in America. This technology will save taxpayers money, introduce sidewalk recycling and keep our streets clean.” Attorneys are both board certified by the American Bankruptcy Certification Board. Chapters 7/13 & Stop foreclosures, creditors harassments, lawsuits, garnishments, and sheriff sales.
We are a debt-relief agency 1500 Walnut Street • Suite 900 Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-735-1060 ccpc@ccpclaw.com
WANTED SPORTS CARDS & MEMORABILIA Huggins & Scott Auctions is looking to buy or consign your VINTAGE Sports Cards & Memorabilia + older Americana type collectibles incl Toys, Games, Trains, Comics, Coins, Political Items, etc. for our next World Wide Internet Auction WE TAKE IT ALL & WE SELL IT ALL. Call Steve at 215-530-4365 to discuss your collection or to get a free catalog Visit our web page at: www.hugginsandscott.com