City Council held their budget hearings this week, with Philadelphia officials revealing plans to request a one-year extension of the city’s waste incineration contract with the Reworld facility in Chester.
The extension would delay a longer-term commitment while the city evaluates alternatives to burning trash at what officials called the largest incinerator in the country.
Surprise Announcement
The announcement came as Philadelphia digs into Mayor Cherelle Parker’s $6.97 billion budget proposal for the fiscal year starting July 1. The proposal is a 1.9% increase over the current budget.
Right now, Philadelphia sends 40% of its trash to incinerators, with the Reworld facility the primary one.
Carlton Williams, director of Clean & Green Initiatives, told council members that the city has requested the one-year extension of its current contract with Reworld, which expires June 30. The revelation caught several council members off guard, including Council member Jamie Gauthier, who has been pushing legislation to stop Philadelphia from burning trash.
Environmental Justice Battle Continues
Gauthier has authored legislation that would prohibit Philadelphia from contracting with any incinerators, citing air pollution impacts on Chester residents and calling the practice environmental racism in a city where Blacks are the majority.
The Parker administration disagrees with the legislation, with officials stating that switching to landfills would incur an extra $6 million annually.
“If we do not pick another partner or alternative, we’ll be in another seven-year contract with Reworld, which is not only the largest incinerator in the country, it’s the largest industrial polluter in the region,” Gauthier said during Tuesday’s hearing.
Council member Rue Landau, who co-sponsored the anti-incineration bill, expressed frustration with the lack of transparency. “I would just ask that you come to the table a little more directly,” Landau said. “If you asked for a one-year extension of the contract, you could have started right there.”
The city’s Law Department later clarified that Philadelphia has not yet formally requested the one-year extension from Reworld. If secured, the city would have more time to find alternative disposal methods without committing long-term to incineration.
City Launches First Public Composting Program
Alongside the contract discussions, city officials unveiled plans for Philadelphia’s first public composting pilot program. Sanitation Commissioner Crystal Jacobs Shipman announced the city will implement a “small organics program that will help residents remove the materials that are in their home.”
The organic waste collection will leverage 10 locations at first, making use of the city’s network of recycling and public trash receptacles. Residents will be asked to download an app if they wish to take part, which will be designed to minimize contamination of the collection sites.
It was noted that organic materials like kitchen and yard waste comprise up to 40% of Philadelphia’s waste stream. Combined with greater recycling efforts, the city could eventually divert as much as 70% of its trash from usual disposal methods.
The Streets Department has hired two consulting firms, MSW Consultants and Civil & Environmental Consultants, to evaluate different disposal options as alternatives to incineration.
Recycling Rate Improvements and New Trash Can Program
Philadelphia’s recycling efforts face significant challenges, with only 14% of recyclable materials actually being recycled – a figure significantly lower than the national rate of 32%. Shipman said the department is implementing educational programs in schools to boost participation.
The city is also reviving its free trash can distribution program under the name PhilaCan 2.0. The updated program “will allow for larger cans for both recycling and trash. For folks who don’t have the ability to store the trash in the back of the home, if your block is selected, you would be able to store that can outside,” Shipman explained.
Carlton Williams noted that participation would mean entire blocks giving their approval, with some residents averse to outdoor trash cans on their streets.
What Comes Next
The budget hearings continue through April and into early May, with upcoming sessions reviewing police and fire budgets, SEPTA funding, and arts programs. The final budget must pass by the end of June.
Meanwhile, the timeline for Gauthier’s anti-incineration legislation remains unclear, as the debate over Philadelphia’s waste management future continues amid the contract extension discussions.
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