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Philadelphia: Recycling in the Streets
Recycle Florida Today Annual Conference & Exhibition
Presented By: Phil Bresee, City of Philadelphia Recycling Director
June 10, 2013
About Philadelphia… • Founded 1682 by William Penn • Fifth-largest City in U.S. with
1.55 million residents • Metro area = ~6 million • Healthcare, financial services,
tourism, refining, IT based economy (transitioning from manufacturing).
• Renowned higher education system
• “Global” city, rich in history, arts, culture, professional sports, etc.
Solid Waste Management in Philadelphia
Commercial 1,833,298
64.6%
Residential 636,027
22.4%
C&D 370,699
13.1%
2011 MSW Generated by Sector
Recycled 1,398,820
49.3%
Landfilled 658,534
23.2%
WTE 778,705
27.5%
2011 MSW Managed
Recycling in Philadelphia: Vintage 1990 to
mid-2000’s
• Recycling coordinator revolving door • Funding and staffing issues • Residential diversion rates in single-digits • Not a priority for most residents • Perceived to be too much trouble / inconvenient • Not clear what was really recyclable • No clear incentive • Fines were the most effective motivator
Solid Waste Management in Philadelphia 2013
• Residential MSW collected by Department of Streets: – $93.3 million budget – 1,200 employees – 200+ trucks (100% run on bio-diesel);
5 transfer sites – Street cleaning & litter can collections – Special event collections – Anti-litter programs
• Weekly pickup from ~525,000 households
• City collects from residential buildings with >6 units.
• Streets & Walkways Education and Enforcement (SWEEP) officers enforce residential & commercial regulations.
Key Commonwealth & City Requirements &
Policy Goals
• PA Act 101 (1988) – Mandatory recycling for local governments 10,000+; includes commercial recycling requirements.
• 35% commonwealth recycling goal • Act 101, Sections 901-904 annual
reporting and grants programs ($2 million per year)
• Solid Waste Management Plan (10 year planning horizons)
• City ordinance requirements includes commercial recycling (1994).
• Greenworks Philadelphia goals include 25% residential diversion rate and 70% landfill diversion rate.
Solid Waste Management in Philadelphia
• 49.3% recycling rate for 2011.
• 10.8% decrease in overall MSW generation 2007-2011.
• Overall recycling rate influenced by high C&D (~85%) & scrap metal recycling rates.
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Recycled & Composted 1,221,029 1,025,394 1,175,842 1,493,955 1,396,987
Disposed 1,964,247 1,771,033 1,495,412 1,437,419 1,443,037
-
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
Ton
s G
en
era
ted
Philadelphia Overall MSW Generation & Recycling
Curbside Recycling Program
• One of the 1st curbside recycling programs in U.S. (c. 1986)
• Single-stream since 2008
• 120,000+ tons for 2012; ~457 lbs. per HH annual yield.
• Recyclables accepted include: – Mixed paper & cardboard
– Metal food & beverage cans
– Plastics #1-7
– Glass bottles and jars
– Aseptic cartons
• Seasonal yard waste collection
• Recyclables delivered to WM Forge MRF (LEED Silver) – $6.6 million in revenues FY 2012
Recycling Rewards Program
• Philadelphia original Recyclebank pilot (2006)
• Program became City-wide 2010
• ~190,000 households have signed up for the program
• Outreach, events, and overall program visibility are key elements:
– 2012 summer sweepstakes
– City Council bin distribution events
– America Recycles Day
– Green Schools Project
– U.S. Conference of Mayors Award
Other Initiatives & Programs
• Public space recycling opportunities (920 Big-Belly sites).
• Recycling drop-off centers at sanitation yards accept other materials: – Electronics
– Household Hazardous Waste
– Styrofoam
• Insinkerator food waste project
• Public event recycling: – 85% recycling/composting rate
at 2012 Philadelphia Marathon
Commercial & Institutional Recycling
• Commercial and institutional MSW stream of 2.2 million tons
• Recycling mandated through PA Act 101 (City ordinance established 1994).
• Businesses must file recycling plan (on-line), contract for services, provide appropriate bins, etc. $300 per day fine for non-compliance.
• 50%+ commercial recycling rate although many gaps exist among small & medium sized businesses.
• Private sector innovation:
– C&D recycling
– Organics recycling
– Food waste
Recycling Revitalization Milestones…
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ton
s p
er
Ye
ar
Residential Recyclables 2003-2012
Single-stream phase-in Plastics & OCC
Weekly pickup
#3-7 plastics
Cartons
Mayor Nutter elected Recyclebank
pilots…
Citywide single-stream
Recyclebank goes Citywide
2006: Single-stream phases-in…
2008: Recycling Rebrand
Reflect innovation
Convey action
2008: Easier still…weekly recycling
2008: City-wide Single-Stream
2008: By bus, trolley and train…
2010: Step it up with #3-7 plastics
2010: Mural Arts Program branding adds
visual excitement…
Future Recycling Initiatives & Challenges
70,594 13%
58,900 11%
401,286 76%
Currently Recyclable
Potential for Recycling
Not Recyclable in Current Program
• An additional 30K-40K tons needed from residential program to reach Greenworks goal.
• City will need to target additional materials to push curbside diversion rates higher: – Household metals e.g. pots, pans, etc.?
– Additional plastics?
– Textiles (6% of MSW)?
• Increase use of drop-off center network.
• Increased public space recycling.
• Examine options to increase recycling in multifamily communities.
• New MRF contract FY 2015; recyclables sort needed.
Material 2000 2010
Difference 2010 vs. 2000
Paper & cardboard 29.0% 14.7% -14.3%
Plastics 13.2% 10.0% -3.2%
Glass 4.0% 1.9% -2.1%
Metals 6.6% 3.5% -3.1%
Organics 29.1% 27.2% -1.9%
C&D 12.9% 24.1% 11.2%
Other 5.2% 18.6% 13.4%
Future Recycling Initiatives & Challenges
• Business MSW services need continued paradigm shifting…(right-sizing)
• High level (24% of MSW) of residentially-generated C&D must be addressed.
• Continued decreases in current program materials.
Philadelphia Residential MSW Composition
Future Recycling Initiatives & Challenges • Collection options (e.g. semi-
automated & carts) due to narrow streets, housing density, and parking.
• Collective bargaining rules
• City already performs 1x week garbage pickup, so organics collections not the easiest sell.
Photo courtesy of Peter Tobia
Strategic Initiatives and Programs
• Solid Waste Management Plan rewrite
• Reengaged Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory Committee
• Explore partnerships with allied agencies, school district…
• Continue to leverage and build public-private partnerships (Carton Council, U.S. Recycling Summit)
• Alternative technologies assessment
• Introduce “rebranded” outreach materials
