Recycling More Than Ever: Way to Recycle, Philly!

Fill Up Your Recycling Bucket!

Single stream recycling has increased Philadelphia’s recycling rates by 46%. Our beautiful recycling trucks have collected 75,060 tons of household waste between June 2008 and June 2009. Philadelphians now recycle approximately 12.4% of their household garbage.

While this is exciting news, it’s still too low. It’s below the national average and is significantly lower than the 25% target rate established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 1980s. In other words, although we’ve improved, we’re still behind.

How can we continue to boost our recycling rates? Recycle bank pays citizens to recycle in the form of coupons and cash. Philadelphia has not joined this popular program. Fines, unpopular sources of revenue in this tight economy, are proven ways to increase participation. There is anecdotal evidence of stepped-up enforcement but the truth is that Licenses and Inspections inexplicably laid off enforcement agents to meet Mayor Nutter’s budget.

While Philadelphia’s recycling participation has improved, we still have miles to go. Recycle Bank and enforcement can help increase participation city-wide and should be used to expand participation. Keep up the great work and keep moving forward, Philly!

Mural Arts Paints the Trucks Floral

One of ten newly redecorated Philadelphia recycling trucks.

If this doesn’t make you want to recycle, nothing will. On Earth Day, Philadelphia launched 10 new trucks covered in art. The design is the handiwork of Desiree Bender, who worked with students at rec centers. The project was a joint effort between the Streets Department, the Design Center at Philadelphia University and the Mural Arts Project. The trucks are intended to draw attention and compliance to the curbside single stream recycling program.

Five Steps Back: the difficulty in recycling other plastics

This tofu container will last for generations.

For a while, some kindly neighbors arranged supplemental plastics recycling and collected plastics that are not part of the city’s curbside collection. With much relief I began to collect plastic numbered 3, 4, 5, and up. The first Saturday collection arrived and I rose early and walked to a nearby park with a bag of plastics.

I went home and continued to collect plastics and waited for an announcement of the next collection day. After a couple months, I posted a query about the next collection date on a neighborhood environmental discussion board but no one had any information. Sadly our program seems to have died, which threw me into a sad state. Also by that time, I had another kitchen trash bag full of recycling.

Many neighborhood collection programs ended when the city began collecting some plastics. Others stopped when single steam started. A few have continued, however, so the easiest and best way to find that source may be to ask around your neighborhood. Isn’t that a good way to meet your neighbors?

Weavers Way Coop also hosts “Gimme 5!” a plastics recycling program that accepts clean and dry number 5 plastics. Deliver them to 610 Carpenter Lane (next to the pet store) from 10am to 1pm on the Saturday, April 18, May 16, and June 10. A small donation is requested with each drop-off of recyclables. Read more about the program on page 5 of the Shuttle, the Weavers Way Newsletter.

Preserve announced a program to recycle plastic number 5 with Whole Foods, Stonyfield Farms, and Organic Valley. However the Philadelphia and Wynnewood Whole Foods do not participate. The Jenkintown Whole Foods has a special collection planned for Earth Day on April 22, 2009. Recyclables must be clean, dry, and marked 1 through 7. Drop-off time is from 8 AM to 9 PM.

Most plastics recycling programs require the removal of lids. Lids and containers are not usually made from the same type of plastic. The Aveda salon in Manayunk accept plastic lids. They must be clean.

I still have that garbage bag of plastics, which the city won’t accept. I hope to travel to Weaver’s Way soon. The only other option is to throw them in the trash, where they will remain for a few thousand years.