Blondell Reynolds Brown Says Philly Should Be More Like Disneyland — Where Litter Is Concerned

Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. | Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP

Philadelphia City Council passed two bills Thursday in hopes of making “Filthadelphia” a little more like Disneyland.

The first piece of legislation, which was introduced by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, would require any business that sells fresh or packaged food to place a trash can and recycling bin 10 feet outside of its building.

Brown says it was inspired by Walt Disney’s theory on trash.

“When designing Disneyland, Walt Disney analyzed guests in other theme parks to find out how many steps a guest would walk without encountering a trash can before littering. He calculated an average of 30 steps,” she said in a statement. “So when you go to a Disney park, most trash cans are no more than 30 steps apart.  It is simple, but makes so much sense.”

The second bill by Brown would require owners of buildings with 10 or more apartment units to provide tenants with a dumpster or other place to store their trash outside of their homes.

“The intent of these bills is to get to the root of the issue, which in most cases is about a lack of access to trash cans and recycling bins, especially when we move beyond the boundaries of Center City,” says Brown. “As a former block captain, I reject the theory that our citizens want to live in trash-strewn areas and do not care about the beautification of their neighborhoods.”