The State of Philly Recycling - Summer 2008
A Good Start, A Long Way to Go
Where We've Been:
- Since its creation in 2005, the RecycleNOW Philadelphia campaign has collected 12,000 petition signatures, spearheaded the city council hearing on recycling in February 2007, and helped foster an unprecedented environmental awareness in city government and politics.
- During the 2007 mayoral campaign Michael Nutter, along with other major candidates, endorsed RecycleNOW's 5 point agenda calling on the mayor to be the official voice and champion of recycling, initiate a national search to hire qualified personnel for key recycling jobs, re-task and reorganize the recycling and solid waste advisory boards, create a comprehensive plan for waste and recycling, and provide the financing to implement the plan.
Where We Stand:
- Mayor Nutter has thus far followed through on Points 1 and 5: becoming the official voice of recycling and providing money to implement recycling. On Point 3, the Mayor is presently reorganizing and reenergizing the Recycling Advisory Committee and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee into one comprehensive group.
- Mayor Nutter has retained much of the same dysfunctional Streets leadership, including the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner and has begun the search to fill the Recycling Coordinator vacancy that Nutter inherited from John Street.
- Despite the pledged additional $25 million towards recycling over the next 5 years, Mayor Nutter's recycling program is only as good as its plan. Thus far, Nutter's call for open and transparent government appears empty since a plan for improved recycling has yet to be presented to the public or city council.
Where We're Heading:
- Mayor Michael Nutter has pledged citywide, weekly, single stream recycling collection by January 2009. But by using the John Street recycling model, the program will be one of the most expensive and least effective recycling programs in the country.
- Philly's recycling rate will not jump from its present 9% to the 40% targeted by Mayor Nutter and required by city law without a fundamental refocus of waste and recycling collection.
Where We Should Go:
Incentive-based recycling. Why does Philadelphia ignore a proven method for dramatically increasing recycling and saving money with the incentive-based RecycleBank model? Recyclebank (a hometown Philly company) increased recycling rates in Wilmington, Delaware from zero to 35% in less than two years and increased recycling participation rates to 90% in select Philadelphia neighborhoods. What are we missing here?
What You Can Do:
Sign the RecycleNOW petition. Explore this website and get educated. Join a RecycleNOW Philadelphia neighborhood chapter. Talk to your councilpersons and tell them recycling is important to you. And most importantly – continue to flood Mayor Nutter with questions about recycling and press him for what the plan for improvement is.