Philadelphia businesses aren’t observing city’s recycling ordinances, review shows

A large percentage of Philadelphia businesses aren’t complying with the city’s longstanding recycling ordinances, according to a report from the Inquirer and Daily News.

Although the city’s ordinances have been in effect for two decades, there are overwhelming signs that the regulations aren’t being followed or enforced by the city. The report found that roughly 40,000 businesses, or 80 percent of businesses operating in Philadelphia, haven’t filed mandated recycling plans with the city. Of the records that are on file, many are duplicates. Additionally, city officials don’t keep a record of which businesses in the database have been inspected for compliance.

While data from haulers shows that roughly 50 percent of waste generated by businesses does get recycled, the incomplete database and lack of inspections make it impossible to know who is in compliance.

The findings come shortly after Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced a goal for the city to become a zero-waste city by 2035 by diverting up to 90 percent of its waste from landfills by that time.

“It [is] a little bit of the wild, wild West,” David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment and chair of Kenney’s transition team on the environment and sustainability, says according to the report. “They come out with a zero-waste plan, and it’s great to do that, but … if you don’t move quickly on this commercial issue, it’s hard to envision how you get to zero.”

A city spokesman said that the Streets Department is considering partnering with the Department of Commerce to remind businesses of their need to file recycling plans.

“We are confident that these efforts will, over time, boost the compliance rate,” city spokesman Mike Dunn says according to the report.