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Recycle florida today june 10 2013
1. Philadelphia: Recycling in the Streets
Recycle Florida Today Annual
Conference & Exhibition
Presented By: Phil Bresee, City of Philadelphia Recycling Director
June 10, 2013
2. 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.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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
TonsGenerated
Philadelphia Overall MSW Generation &
Recycling
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
21. 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.
22. 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
23. 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
24. 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
