When it comes to recycling, Philadelphia has always been at the bottom of the bin. Only 5.5 percent of Philadelphians recycle compared to the national average of 18 percent. Which is why Philly mayor Michael Nutter's announcement last week that all residents would now have the benefit of "single-stream" recycling—ie: not having to sort materials into separate bins—was welcome news. Eighty thousand new homes will now be able to put their recyclables in a single marked container— a change that increased recycling rates three percent in Northeast Philadelphia, where the program was implemented two years ago.

One of the primary reasons people don't recycle is inconvenience, and single-stream recycling undoubtedly makes it easier for the average citizen do his or her part for the environment. But an anticipated rate increase of just three percent when we're already 13 percent below average? Can't we do better?

Turns out we can: A recycling program exists that's been shown to raise the rate of recycling more than 80 percent, and it was started right here in Philadelphia. But unfortunately, the city has yet to adopt it.

Recyclebank is a company founded on the idea that the best way to get people to recycle is to give them a personal incentive for doing so (yes, a clean environment should be its own reward, but clearly that doesn't cut it for most people). Started in Philadelphia in 2004, the company outfits regular garbage collection vehicles with a special attachment that weighs the amount of material being recycled (also single-stream)per household, records the information using an identity tag on each recycling bin and saves the data. Each household is then rewarded points based on the amount they recycle, which can be exchanged for coupons with Recyclebank sponsors like Acme, Rite Aid and Coca Cola, to name a few. 

The company has also recently introduced a kiosk recycling system for college campuses and other places where curbside collection is impractical or doesn't exist. With this system, students simply drop their recyclables into the kiosk and record the weight using an electronic key card, which is connected to their account.

Recyclebank first launched in several Philadelphia neighborhoods in 2006 and within months recycling rates in those neighborhoods went from 7 percent to 90 percent. The city controller estimated that increasing our recycling rate to match the national average could save the city $17 million, mostly in landfill costs. But Philadelphia still has yet to strike a deal with the company to expand citywide, despite its success in other cities in the Northeast.  Negotiations stalled at the end of Mayor Street's term—city administrators insisted the

Recyclebank deal was cost prohibitive— and so far, the Nutter administration shows no signs of resuming them.

If you'd like to be contacted when Recyclebank becomes available in your area, you can sign up on their website.

Or better yet, contact the Philadelphia Streets Department and request that the city bring Recyclebank or a comparable company to your neighborhood.

ANOTHER OPTION:
With Philly's lackluster recycling options, a floundering economy and rising energy costs, one resident  has decided to take recycling and sustainability to another level. Rob Marco, 28, recently left his full-time job to work on what he calls the Urban Hermitage Project: building a sustainable dwelling from primarily recycled materials for less than $1000. He explains his motivation this way:

"With close to 9,000 homes being foreclosed upon daily, and the percentage of homeless Americans increasing every day, it's clear that many are finding it harder to sustain the consumptive lifestyles we have taken for granted. I would like to prove that a solitary, zero-energy, ecologically sustainable and portable dwelling can be built for under $1,000 … using primarily recycled material."

On his blog, which chronicles the project, Rob explains how he plans to construct the house using bamboo from the nearby park, aluminum cans for the roof and crumpled newspaper for insulation. It will also have a system to collect rainwater and filter it into drinking water and heated water for bathing.

"While I may or may not move into the hermitage after it is built, I want to see if it can be done," Rob wrote in his first blog post.

I'll be following Rob throughout his project, so check back in to see a video about the specifics of the house's construction, and whether or not Rob achieves his goal.

-c