August 10, 2005

Contacts: Emily Linn / 215 567-4004 x 103
Eric Wilden / 215 640-8800

Recycling Could Save City $17 Million City Controller Audit of Philadelphia’s Recycling Program Supports Recycling Alliance Findings

Philadelphia, PA– An audit of Philadelphia’s Recycling Program, released today by Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel, finds that the City could be saving up to $17 million annually if it were to fully implement its recycling programs. The audit found the City out of compliance with both the 1987 Recycling Ordinance, which established mandatory recycling citywide, and the 35-40% recycling diversion rate goal that the City established back in 2000.

“The City’s residential recycling rate has remained stagnant at a mere 6% for too long,” according to Emily Linn, Program Director for Clean Air Council. “Now is the time to implement
the recommendations set forth by the City Controller’s Office.”

Many of the recommendations offered by the City Controller’s Office closely mirror those that the Recycling Alliance has been pushing for over the past several years. The Recycling
Alliance is calling for the return to weekly curbside recycling collection citywide, expansion of materials collected to include plastics, corrugated cardboard, and yard waste, strict enforcement of the City’s mandatory recycling law, and expansion of recycling education efforts. With the
implementation of these recommendations, Philadelphia could finally join cities with similar population sizes that enjoy recycling rates nearing 30%, such as Chicago and Los Angeles.

“This report underscores the changes in the city's recycling program that the Recycling Alliance has been calling for all along,” according to Eric Wilden, Eastern Pennsylvania Director
for Clean Water Action. “In spite of their cries to the contrary, the Streets Department has not been supportive of a culture that promotes recycling, both at the residential and commercial levels. $17 million is no small amount, and the city's recycling efforts should be expanded to save taxpayers those funds.”

In 2004, the Recycling Alliance issued a report, titled “Saving Tax Dollars: A Citizen's Report on Recycling 2004.” The report found that the City could be saving millions of citizen tax
dollars by taking simple steps to improve recycling services and increasing the recycling diversion rate. “The Recycling Alliance’s 2004 report,” according to Linn, “sparked the interest of the City Controller’s Office and led to their investigation of Philadelphia’s recycling program.”

More information on the Recycling Alliance is available by contacting Emily Linn at 215-567-4004 ext. 103 or Eric Wilden at 215-640-8800, or by visiting the Recycling Alliance’s website
at www.cleanair.org/recyclingalliance.

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The Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia is an association of organizations and individuals
working to promote recycling in Philadelphia.