That’s right: In the grand tradition of America’s greatest leaders,
our city government declared BINdependence on July 7th, introducing
city–wide single–stream recycling in a ceremony at City Hall. Single–stream allows paper and plastic, glass and cardboard to live
together in harmony, creating a city where people will be judged not
on the color of their skin but on the content of their recycle bins.

Allowing all recyclable items to be mixed and collected in the same
bin may seem like a small victory but according to America’s top
recycling company, Waste Management, single–stream increases household
participation by 30%. And in a city where recycling participation is
10% below the national average, the Philadelphia Streets Department is
on a mission to bring recycling into the public consciousness once
again.

Since the announcement, the department has launched its ”All Together
Now” campaign, an advertising and marketing effort combining
traditional posters on subways and busses with informational tips and
facts online.

Did you know that 60% of our trash is paper that could be recycled?
But you used to have to separate newspaper from the rest of your
recyclables. You used to have to determine which paper could be
recycled and which should be thrown away. Those days are over.
Did you know that every month, Philadelphians throw away enough glass
jars and bottles to fill the municipal services building? And that
just one of those glass jars could run a 100–watt light bulb for 4
hours? We are literally wasting energy every day.

Single–stream has been a long time coming. Although Philadelphia is
the largest city on the east coast to adopt the practice citywide,
many cities like Seattle, Austin, Baltimore and Chicago have had the
practice in place for some time. But better late than never. And you
soon won’t have to wait for collection. The mayor’s office has stated
that pick–ups will be a weekly occurrence by the end of the year.

Recycling bins were not the only ones getting an upgrade this month.
City trash receptacles got thoroughly pimped as the Center City
District introduced BigBelly, a solar–powered trash compactor that
will reduce fuel use and greenhouse emissions from trash collection by
80 percent.

Older model compactors are already in use in other parts of the city
like Drexel University and in nearby cities like Baltimore and Boston.
Center City District has the new cans on a 30–day trial to test cost
and energy effectiveness. And, according to Center City District’s
Vice President of Planning Nancy Goldenberg, they might be here to
stay.

”The regular trash baskets are supposed to be emptied 3 times a day,”
Goldenberg says. ”We have emptied these twice since the unveiling.
There seems to be no downside so far.”

Many citizens may see another idea explored by City Hall to curb waste
disposal emissions as a downside, even though its supporters claim
it’s the best way to knock some sense into negligent city residents.
They call it ”Pay As You Throw.”

The Mayor’s budget plan calls for research into the cost–effectiveness
of charging people for trash pick–up, with the idea that keeping
recycling pick–up free will cause people to think twice before
throwing their newspaper in the trash. But according to the Mayor’s
office, this was just a passing notion.

”It came up because of a sentence in the 5–year budget plan looking at
other cities like Seattle where the idea of fees for trash pick–up was
explored,” says mayoral spokesperson Luke Butler. ”We hope the
availability and ease of single–stream recycling will increase
participation.” Butler went on to emphatically state that this was
simply a policy idea and that there are currently no plans to charge
for trash pick–up any time soon.

So with solar–powered compactors and catch–all recycling service
hitting the streets this month, we should see a trash–less utopia
right around the corner, right? But many residents are skeptical that
these services will work in the ways that they should.
South Philadelphia resident Jon Adler, owner of the Beauty Shop Café
at 21st and Fitzwater, says he often watches his recyclables get
picked up by trash men trying to meet weight quotas and close out
their day.

”If I put it in a can marked ”recycling,” if I put it in a box…they
will still take it,” Adler says. ”The only way they don’t take it is
if its in a blue bin. But where can you buy one? I have never seen
them for sale anywhere.”

The city will be providing bins at city recreation centers. If you
are not interested in another bin, the city will also provide stickers
to identify your existing cans as recyclable. That should stop those
overzealous trash men.

Another problem the city faces is how residents dispose of hazardous
material like old electronics, paint cans, old cell phones, fire
extinguishers and pesticides. The Streets Department organizes
drop–off events at various waste disposal sites around the city every
month. But many people don’t know how to dispose of these items
properly, leading to harmful chemical deposits in our landfills.
The Streets Department does not have a drop event scheduled for this
month. The next event is Saturday, September 13th. You can check the
schedule online and click on ”Household Hazardous Waste” or call 215–686–5560.

For any other questions regarding single stream recycling or other
waste disposal concerns, visit the ”All Together Now” campaign website.