Busted: Debunking Recycling Myths in the City

This month's myth:
There is no penalty for not recycling in Philadelphia.

FALSE! Recycling in Philadelphia is the law and fines will be issued to those who do not recycle.

Philadelphia was the first city in country to enact mandatory curbside recycling. Streets and Walkways Education and Enforcement Program (SWEEP) officers are charged with enforcing trash and recycling laws and are authorized to write $25 tickets to residents caught not recycling.

Recently the Nutter Administration has ramped up recycling enforcement and more SWEEP officers have been hired. They will be focusing their efforts especially on apartment complexes and commercial establishments that are not providing recycling for their tenants. To get your commercial apartment building, office building or business up to speed with recycling laws, read the City of Philadelphia’s Guide to Turning Philadelphia’s Recycling Regulations Into an Opportunity or visit the Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council website.

At home, make sure you set out your recycling curbside at the appropriate time to avoid getting a ticket. Most neighborhoods have daytime collection and should set out recyclables between 7 p.m. the night before collection day and 7 a.m. the day of collection. If you have evening collection, set out recyclables between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on your collection day.

If you have received a fine or have a question please contact the Philadelphia Streets Department at 215-686-5560.

Previous Months' Myths

Myth:
Your recycling materials must be in a city-issued blue bin to be collected.

FALSE! Your recyclables can be placed at the curb in ANY hard-sided container that is clearly marked "RECYCLING."

While the blue recycling bins are very popular, you don't need one to recycle! Any container that is clearly marked "recycling" will be treated the same as a blue bin and its contents will be recycled. According to the City of Philadelphia's Streets Department, "Use any sturdy plastic or metal container that holds 20 gallons or less and just mark the word 'RECYCLING' on its side.

Myth:
A recycling program is a large expense for the City of Philadelphia

FALSE! Recycling SAVES the City of Philadelphia money.

Recycling is not only good for the environment, it's good for the economy! The City of Philadelphia currently pays $62 for every ton of garbage they landfill. On the contrary, the city earns approximately $35 for every ton they recycle. Last year, recycling earned Philadelphia $1.7 milion and saved it $3.2 million in recycling costs. The City Controller actually reported that if Philadelphia's recycling rate reached an achievable 35%, the City would save $17 million. Talk about trash to cash!

Myth:
If a trash truck picks up my recycling, it will still get sorted and go to a recycling facility.

FALSE! If a trash truck picks up your recyclables, they will go to a landfill.

If a trash truck picks up your recyclables, you need to report this problem to the Streets Department immediately. This is a problem right now in Philadelphia that needs to be addressed by the Streets Department. You can contact them at 215-685-RECYCLE(7329) or csstreets@phila.gov. Vice versa, recycling trucks are not allowed to be collecting garbage; this must also be reported to the Streets Department.

MYTH:
I shouldn't bother putting my recyclables out in my blue bin because the City just sends them to a landfill anyway.

False! Contrary to what many residents may hear about where Philadelphia's residential recycling goes, it actually does get recycled! When recycling is picked up at the curb via the blue bin program (and providing that it gets picked up by the recycling truck and not the trash truck), it's taken to Blue Mountain Recycling in the Grays Ferry section of the City.

Blue Mountain Recycling is a processing center that has the ability to sort single stream recyclables into their proper categories (paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, etc.) and then, in turn, ships the recyclables off to various markets. For example, Kimberly-Clark purchases all of the recycled paper from Blue Mountain to reuse in the production of paper products such as toilet paper and paper towels.

MYTH:
Businesses and apartments in Center City are exempt from the Philadelphia recycling law.

False! The City of Philadelphia's commercial recycling regulations require that all commercial buildings in all parts of the City—including businesses, apartment buildings of more than six units, places of worship and schools—provide recycling for their employees and/or tenants.

For more information on the City's commercial recycling regulations, visit http://www.gpcrc.com/regulatory_issues.asp#phila or contact the point person for commercial recycling in the City of Philadelphia's Recycling Office at 215-686-5586. Call the City's Recycling Hotline at 215-685-RECYCLE(7329) to report a commercial building that is not complying with the recycling regulations!