The Status of Recycling in Philadelphia: Analysis and Recommendations for Philadelphia’s Floundering Recycling Program

The city of Philadelphia was one of the first in the United States to introduce curb-side collection of residential recycling. Since recycling was introduced in 1987 however, Philadelphia has failed to achieve a waste diversion rate (the percentage of total waste from a specified area that is diverted from disposal at landfills through reduction, reuse, and recycling programs) greater than 7%. Currently, Philadelphia is ranked 7th out of 8 in waste diversion programs in American cities with populations over a million. This report analyzes Philadelphia’s recycling program, where it has come from and what is preventing it from progressing. Among other suggestions, this report recommends integrating recycling education and collection in Philadelphia public schools, expanding the single-stream pilot program, and reducing the volume of trash collected at curb-side to cooperatively improve the overall success of Philadelphia’s recycling program.