Clean Air Council aims to improve recycling in Philadelphia by:
Clean Air Council takes these program objectives seriously and has worked to improve recycling rates in Philadelphia for over 15 years. The Council first became involved in waste reduction and recycling issues in 1987 when the City of Philadelphia began looking toward incinerators as the main form of waste disposal. Specifically, the City had taken steps to build two new incinerators in economically struggling areas in the Greater Philadelphia region. Clean Air Council, along with other community groups, represented the residents in court and fought to keep the incinerators out of their backyards.
Since then, Clean Air Council has been instrumental in setting up the City's recycling infrastructure and has been working with the city, local, businesses, the state, and community members to reduce waste in Pennsylvania by improving waste reduction and recycling in Philadelphia.
History of Clean Air Council’s
Waste Reduction & Recycling Program
1980
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Clean Air Council publishes There is More Than One Way to Recycle, an explanation of various recycling methods.
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1981
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The Council works with other Philadelphia activists to create "Philadelphians for Recycling."
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1987
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In June, Philadelphia City Council passed 1251A, the first urban mandatory recycling legislation in the country with a recycling goal set for 40% by the year 2000. Clean Air Council helps draft the ordinance.
Clean Air Council works with residents of Chester to block plans for the construction of a waste incinerator in their community.
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1988
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By appointment of the Mayor of Philadelphia, Clean Air Council becomes an original member of the City of Philadelphia Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC), on which it still serves today.
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1988
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Clean Air Council continues to be closely involved in monitoring the recycling program in the City of Philadelphia, advocating for continued policy development, more efficient solid waste reduction methodologies, and increased recycling rates.
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1991
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Clean Air Council publishes There is More Than One Way to Reduce Waste, an explanation of solid waste reduction methods.
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1992
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Clean Air Council sponsors a panel discussion and conference on recycling markets, marketing, and economic development issues.
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1993
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Clean Air Council begins implementation of the pilot phase of a multi-year, community-based solid waste reduction program called the Pollution Prevention Program (P-3).
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1994-1996
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The City of Philadelphia contracts with Clean Air Council to conduct citywide outreach that promotes curbside recycling, involving the development and production of recycling literature, developing the system of color coded recycling days, door-to-door outreach, distribution of recycling bins, and surveying neighborhoods to evaluate the success of the program.
Clean Air Council operates the City of Philadelphia Recycling Hotline, which received 1,000 calls per week.
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1995
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Clean Air Council begins service on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, Inter-agency Task Force, and the Recycling Economic Development Consortium.
Clean Air Council continues P-3 program, bringing it to the Mt. Airy and Germantown sections of Philadelphia.
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1996
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Clean Air Council publishes the first edition of its quarterly newsletter, Waste Less News, to enhance the dissemination of timely and interesting waste reduction information to the Council's network of people interested in waste reduction. The newsletter serves as a way of creating enthusiasm for the P-3 program by spotlighting individual P-3 participants and reporting on their program experiences and philosophies on waste reduction.
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1998
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Clean Air Council expands P-3 program into South and Southwest Philadelphia.
Clean Air Council develops, researches and prints the first edition of the Use It Again, Philly! guide to recycling, renting, repairing, and reuse.
Clean Air Council conducts a hazardous waste reduction and collection effort in selected multi-housing buildings throughout Philadelphia.
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1999
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P-3 program moves into its final year and creates new effort to promote waste measurement and recycling initiatives in City Offices.
Clean Air Council institutes and coordinates a public education effort with SEPTA including bus and train advertisements and the placement of designated newspaper collection bins in transit terminals.
Clean Air Council updates and prints the second edition of the Use It Again, Philly! Guide to recycling, renting, repairing, and use.
Clean Air Council and Clean Water Action become the co-founders of the Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia.
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2000
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Clean Air Council submits testimony on behalf of the Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia at the Town Hall meeting on March 1st to advocate for a new Recycling Coordinator of Philadelphia.
Clean Air Council helps oversee the interview and selection process for the new Recycling Coordinator.
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2001
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Clean Air Council and the Recycling Alliance of Philadelphia welcome the choice of David Robinson as the new Recycling Coordinator and William Johnson as Philadelphia Streets Commissioner.
Clean Air Council gives comments on the possibility of a new co-mingled collection process for the City of Philadelphia to RAC.
Clean Air Council partners with Philadelphia Recycling Office and Clean Water Action to conduct a door-to-door pilot recycling education program to test the effectiveness of various messages and stimulate city residents in selected neighborhoods to resume recycling more effectively.
Clean Air Council takes the Use It Again, Philly! guide statewide creating Use It Again, PA!, located at www.useitagainpa.org.
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