Philly Residents Can Pick Up New Recycling Bins

Municipal recycling programs are great things. When cities make it easier for residents to recycle, they encourage citizens to put in an effort that they probably otherwise would not have done. One of the biggest ways cities can promote recycling is by giving their residents the bins or containers they need to get the job done. Philly residents who don’t yet have a recycling container can pick one up this Saturday at the Fox Hill office of City Councilman Brian O’Neill, located at at 432 Rhawn Street.

All Philadelphia city residents are eligible to attend, and there will be officials from the Philadelphia Streets Department and RecycleBank on hand to offer help if needed. From the Philly Voice:

All city residents are invited to register new or existing bins in the Streets Department’s Recycle Rewards program. The offer allows individuals to earn points for deals and discounts at local businesses. After signing up, participants simply need to attach the provided sticker to their bins to earn points.

If they miss the event, Philadelphians can pick up recycling containers anytime at their local Streets Department location.

The city recently clarified what was and was not recyclable on the Streets Department website. According to the department, many Philadelphians are “overzealous” regarding what they put in their bins, and it’s actually making things harder at the recycling plant. The same days as trash pick-up, recycling trucks come around to collect the contents of recycling bins in what is called a “single stream” process. The recycling – cans, paper, bottles, etc. – are dumped at the Republic Services facility in Grays Ferry, where it is sorted, baled, and put on trucks in compacted bricks. The recycling process is actually pretty complicated from that point onward. The bricks are shipped to mills around the U.S. and overseas which actually complete the process of recycling. Different items are sent to different places; and recyclables like paper and cardboard could possibly undergo three or four processors that turn those specific materials over for a profit.

Here are some recycling tips from the Streets Department, courtesy of the Philly Voice:

• Just because there is a recycling symbol on something (Example A: Most plastic bags), doesn’t mean it should be recycled.

• Used paper towels and napkins cannot be recycled (i.e., contamination).

• Light bulbs, porcelain and non-container glass, and electronics cannot be recycled at the curb.

• For some items like electronics, mattresses, yard waste, and Christmas trees — which are technically recyclable but cannot be picked up on the curb — the Streets Department provides Sanitation Convenience Centers. Here’s more.

• The Streets Department hosts Household Hazardous Waste Events throughout the year. Here are the 2018 drop-off dates. Examples of household hazardous waste: Paint thinner, varnish, pesticides, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, aerosol cans, kerosene, Compact Fluorescent Lights.