Did you know? The Philadelphia Taking Care of Business (PHL TCB) Clean Corridors Program funds community organizations to sweep sidewalks and remove litter within neighborhood commercial corridors. PHL TCB invests in small businesses, creates employment opportunities for local residents and keeps Philadelphia’s neighborhood commercial corridors clean. PHL TCB Cleaning Ambassadors are champions of litter reduction and environmental care citywide. The program is part of a larger effort by the Department of Commerce to enhance and promote vibrant commercial corridors.

Great news! City Council recently allocated an additional $3M to the City of Philadelphia’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget and Five-Year Plan for PHL TCB. With this funding, many community organizations:

This means:

  • Cleaner streets and commercial areas citywide.
  • More employment opportunities for Philadelphians.
  • More economic opportunities for local, minority-owned cleaning firms.
  • More satisfied merchants and shoppers.
  • Increased quality of life for all and vibrant commercial areas.

Maintaining clean commercial areas

95 percent of business owners who were surveyed in TCB cleaning areas believe TCB has been effective.  TCB cleaning is carried out by small crews of uniformed Cleaning Ambassadors deployed along scheduled cleaning routes identified by the City and the community organizations that we contract with. 

Some organizations hire their own staff to perform the cleaning, other organizations contract with a private cleaning provider.  TCB Cleaning Ambassadors earn a minimum of $15.71 per hour and receive paid workforce training opportunities. We are thankful for their diligence, passion and commitment to a cleaner and greener Philadelphia. 

Highlighting milestones and achievements

The PHL TCB 2022 Impact Report highlights the following:

Cleaner commercial areas

  • In 2022, 17,498 fewer bags of trash collected than in 2021. This reduction in trash collected indicates that keeping commercial corridors clean prevents litter from accumulating in the first place.

Workforce Impacts

TCB cleaning ambassadors attain credentials that are highly valued by employers across many industries, which can benefit them when searching for future employment opportunities, such as enrolling in workplace safety, mental health and career readiness programs. More than half of TCB Cleaning Ambassadors are estimated to be returning citizens. In 2022, 

  • 67 Cleaning Ambassadors completed a Mental Health First Aid Training.
  • 160 Cleaning Ambassadors completed an online CareerSafe OSHA-10 certification.

Impact on Cleaning Companies

TCB enabled four Philadelphia-based, for-profit, minority-owned cleaning companies to grow their businesses, with City contracts among the four companies increasing from $221,000 in 2020 to $1.74 million in 2021.

Moving forward

Cleaner streets, healthier lives! TCB represents a critical investment by the City for Philadelphia to support the quality of life within neighborhood business districts. PHL TCB will continue to expand on its program goals to the highest quality possible every day. When you see the TCB crews out in the commercial areas, we encourage you to greet and thank them for all they do.

Learn more about the PHL Taking Care of Business Clean Corridors Program