I wrote about the money that can be saved by recycling in the Philadelphia Daily News today. I thought readers might be interested to learn more about single-stream recycling. Below is an interview with Christine Knapp from the environmental group PennFuture.
My questions are in bold.
1. What is single stream recycling? How is it different from how the city previously recycled?
Single stream recycling means that all materials can be collected in one bin. The recyclables are sorted from each other at the Blue Mountain recycling facility in South Philadelphia, which has state of the art equipment to handle single stream collection. Single stream is a better collection system because it is easier for residents, allows for more materials to be collected at once, and is more efficient than regular collection, which can save money for operations in the long run.
2. Single stream recycling is supposed to make things easier for city residents. What materials can be put in recycling bins?
As in the past, residents can recycle glass, metal (such as tin and aluminum), and paper including magazines, newspapers, junk mail, phone books and food boxes. With single stream, they can now also add plastics #1 and #2 (like soda or water bottles) and cardboard that is empty and flattened. For information on how to recycle items not collected by the city, visit the RecycleNow Philadelphia website here.
3. What types of containers can be used to store recyclables? And when will the city pick up these containers?
Residents can continue to use a blue bin, which are available at city sanitation yards and will soon be available at recreation centers and other sites throughout the city. You can also arrange a pick-up or drop-off of more than one recycling container, by calling 215-685-RECYCLE. However, you do not need a blue bin to recycle. Any hard-sided container can serve as a recycling bin. Simply write the word “RECYCLING” on the side, or call the Streets Department to request a sticker to put on your bin.
Recycling collection is still the same day as trash day, although most parts of the city still have collection every other week. Only Center City and the Northwest have collection every week. To find out which week is your recycling week, you can check the city website here.
4. Why did it take so long for Philadelphia to get on board with single stream?
Philadelphia is actually at the forefront of single stream recycling and is now the largest city on the East Coast to provide it. Philadelphia began a pilot program to test single stream in 2005, then expanded it to the Northeast section of the City in 2006 and continued to expand until its most recent increase which brought the entire City into the system.
5. How does Philadelphia compare to other cities when it comes to recycling?
Our commercial recycling rates are comparable, but our residential diversion rate continues to lag behind other cities. Currently just over 8 percent of all waste thrown away by residents is recycled in Philadelphia. In comparison, New York and Chicago’s residential diversion rates are over 20 percent and Los Angeles is over 30 percent and growing.
6. Are there any other improvements that could be made to how recycling is done in Philadelphia? Has city government done everything it can do?
The commitment to single stream recycling is an excellent first step. And the Nutter administration has also committed to providing weekly collection citywide by the end of the year, which is another crucial step to increasing rates. There still remains more to be done in educating citizens and helping them to participate. Recycling bins have to be easier to access and residents need regular reminders on how, when, where and why to participate in the recycling program. Enforcement also needs to be a tool to get the cooperation of apartment and commercial buildings to provide recycling programs for their tenants.
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About Christine:
Christine Knapp joined PennFuture in July of 2005, with a background in grassroots organizing, issue campaigning and policy work. Knapp’s work at PennFuture is primarily focused on the Next Great City initiative, which is working to implement a common sense, cost effective policy agenda that enhances Philadelphia’s environment, strengthens neighborhoods and increases economic competitiveness.
Previously, Knapp worked for four years at Clean Water Action, working on local air pollution issues stemming from the South Philadelphia Sunoco refinery and advocating for improvements to Philadelphia’s lagging recycling program. In this capacity she organized and recruited participation in the Philadelphia Bucket Brigade, a community based air sampling program. She also served as Secretary for the Community Labor Refinery Tracking Committee, as a Co-coordinator for the Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia and as the Organizer for the Philadelphia Environmental Meet-Up.
Knapp graduated cum laude from Villanova University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communications. While at Villanova, she served as a Communications intern for the Philadelphia Streets Department.
Knapp is a frequent guest on news programs such as Fox Philadelphia, CN8 and WHYY’s Radio Times, She is the chair of the Urban Sustainability Forum and is a moderator of PhillyFreecycle. She served on the transition team for Mayor Nutter and won the Florence Neilson award for her work on the board of the Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia.