People of Philadelphia- RECYCLE!

            Recycling is known to be good for the environment. It is known to reduce landfill overflow. It is known for allowing fewer products to be made by reusing the old. So why do the majority of the people in Philadelphia refuse to reduce, reuse, and recycle? If you are a part of the 6% (Truini) of Philadelphia residents who currently do not recycle, read this as a plea to take action. If you already recycle, thank you. Please take this as backing for your actions, and encouragement to push your friends and neighbors to recycle.

            “Recycling is the process of recovering and reusing waste products, and thereby reducing their burden on the environment” (Columbia Encyclopedia). Not only does it help save the environment, but it also helps save money. In Philadelphia, it costs $28 for every ton of recyclables brought to the waste-management plant, and the landfills charge $62 for every ton of garbage (Waxman). If all recycling were put into recycling bins and not dumped into the trash, this would save $34 per ton that is correctly placed into recycling bins. However, this does not happen, and Philly is not the only place where this does not occur. Cities all over the nation are struggling to come up with a time- and money-saving plan to encourage residents to recycle.

            There are several issues with recycling in cities. There is the lack of resources, lack of commitment, and lack of laws that enforce and allow recycling. All of these problems can be boiled down to a basic source- local government. It is difficult for a city’s government to come up with a recycling plan that minimizes the economic costs, unrecycled waste, sanitary landfill disposals, and the environmental impact (Minciardi). These are the four main issues that the government must juggle and try to keep balanced when looking into starting up a citywide recycling plan. The economic cost of starting a citywide program is very high because it requires the hiring of collectors, trucks, and bins. On the opposite end of the scale, the more money the city is willing to spend on the initial front of the program, fewer amounts of unrecycled waste will be thrown into the landfills. The additional seesaw effect that is happening is the less landfills the city uses, the better its environmental impact will be. The basic decision that a city government must make is how willing it is to front money for a recycling program that may possibly help save money and the Earth. The issue with this decision is that there is no way to guarantee that the people will indeed begin to recycle more.

            Thankfully, Philadelphia has taken a hopeful leap and started up a convenient citywide recycling program. The city plans to spend “$25 million over the next five [years] to upgrade recycling technology” (Waxman). This is great news because our city has taken a chance on us in hopes that we will recycle enough to not only make up for the initial money expenses, but eventually save the city additional money, while, of course, reducing its carbon footprint as well. On July 7, 2008, Philadelphia’s Mayor, Michael A. Nutter, kicked off the city’s “All Together Now” recycling program (Truini). This program allows residents to place all recyclable items (paper, plastic, glass, cardboard, and metal) in one bin for pickup.  Each area has a specific pickup morning for recycling and another for “rubbish,” as phrased on the phila.gov website. This plan, previously implemented in certain neighborhoods, has “increased recovery rate [in those neighborhoods] by 35% since 2006” (Truini). If we can just increase the recovery rate throughout the entire city to 35% as well, the city could save “$17 million [a year, that] could be used by our financially strapped city to improve services, cut taxes, or repair aging infrastructure” (Waxman). With a 35% recovery rate, our city could inevitably save so much money and environmental health on recycling that we become the cleanest most well-kept city in the nation.

            However, there are several implications that are holding us back. Although the all-in-one program is helping our city become more eco-friendly, we are not as far along as we should be. There are no recycling bins on the streets for those who are shopping or working in the city and do not want to carry their recycling home. Also, the blue bins are being stolen, and there is no current way to stop the thieves. There are several issues with the setup of Philadelphia’s recycling programs, but we have to start somewhere. If we cannot get past this first step of recycling that will allow us to help the environment while saving money for the city, there is no way that we will be able to push forward and reach this city’s full recycling potential.

            For those who are not currently recycling, I hope you will start now. The city is giving out free bins or you can simply use one of your own. There are weekly and biweekly pickups and all you have to do is call 215-685-RECYCLE (7329) to find out when your pickup is. The city has even made it so convenient for you that you don’t have to separate any of your recycling. Just throw it into one big bin!

Recycling is not difficult. It is hardly even time consuming. You have to get rid of it somehow anyways, so why not help your city and your Earth in the meantime? Philadelphia has put in the time and money to help save the environment. Join us.

Bibliography

 

Truini Joe. “Philadelphia launches citywide single-stream recycling.” Wastenews.com 08 July 2008. 09 October 2008. .

 

“Recycling.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. High Beam Encyclopedia.        09 October 2008. .

 

Waxman, Ben. “Recycling is pure gold.” Philly.com 07 August 2008. 09 October. 2008 .

 

Minciardi, Riccardo; Paolucci Massimo; Robba, Michela; Sacile, Roberto. “Multi-objective optimization of solid waste flows: Environmentally sustainable strategies for municipalities.” Waste News 15 October 2007: 1. ScienceDirect. EbscoHost. Paley Library, Temple University. 12 October 2008.