New Contract to Keep Philly's Curbside Recyclables from Incineration

Philadelphia—like many cities across the country—has been struggling with changes in the recycling market since China’s National Sword went into effect. Due to rising collection costs, the city has been sending half of the recyclable materials it collects to an incinerator. Now, the city is gearing up to sign a new contract for recycling services that will end the incineration of half of what is collected curbside.

KYW News Radio reported that when Philadelphia’s recycling contract expired in October 2018, the contractor raised the price to $170 per ton from $44 per ton. In order to stay within its budget while looking for a new contractor, the city sent half the recycling it collected to a waste-to-energy plant in Chester and only recycled collections from the Northwest and Northeast that had the least contamination.

When the city signs its new recycling collections contract—expected to occur at the end of the month—it plans to stop burning those materials.

KYW News Radio has more information:

Philadelphia is close to signing a new contract for recycling services that will end the practice of incinerating at least half of what it picks up in curbside recycling, Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams told City Council at a budget hearing Wednesday. 

Like other municipalities across the country, Philadelphia has been grappling with a sea change in the recycling market caused by strict new standards adopted last summer by China, which takes most of the world's recycling.

China announced it would no longer accept recycling "contaminated" with non-recyclables, such as plastic bags mixed in with plastic bottles or greasy pizza boxes mixed in with paper.

The change hit home in Philadelphia when its recycling contract expired in October and the contractor raised the price from $44 per ton to $170 per ton.

Read the full article here.

ct for recycling services that will end the incineration of half of what is collected curbside.

KYW News Radio reported that when Philadelphia’s recycling contract expired in October, the contractor raised the price to $170 per ton from $44 per ton. In order to stay within its budget while looking for a new contractor, the city sent half the recycling it collected straight to a waste-to-energy plant in Chester and only recycled collections from the Northwest and Northeast that had the least contamination.

When the city signs its new recycling collections contract—expected at the end of the month—it plans to stop incinerating those materials.

KYW News Radio has more information:

Philadelphia is close to signing a new contract for recycling services that will end the practice of incinerating at least half of what it picks up in curbside recycling, Streets Commissioner Carlton Williams told City Council at a budget hearing Wednesday. 

Like other municipalities across the country, Philadelphia has been grappling with a sea change in the recycling market caused by strict new standards adopted last summer by China, which takes most of the world's recycling.

China announced it would no longer accept recycling "contaminated" with non-recyclables, such as plastic bags mixed in with plastic bottles or greasy pizza boxes mixed in with paper.

The change hit home in Philadelphia when its recycling contract expired in October and the contractor raised the price from $44 per ton to $170 per ton.

Read the full article here.