Garbage In, Garbage Out

Recycling numbers are being invented and abused.

by Bruce Schimmel

If you relish the ridiculous, consider a session with the RAC. No, it's not Kafka, but it's close.

The Recycling Advisory Committee is a council of commercial recyclers, environmentalists and other experts who are charged with guiding the city's recycling programs. Their monthly meetings are open to the public, and I went to one recently.

Though if you're up for only a touch of the absurd, let me recommend Frank DiCicco's upcoming showcase of RAC stars at a council hearing on Feb. 22.

Twenty years ago, Philadelphia was the first big American city to establish recycling. Now we're nearly the last in performance.

Los Angeles recycles some 40 percent and Chicago recycles about 20. But Philadelphia diverts just 6 percent, sending the rest to pricey landfills. Only Dallas, at 2 percent, does worse than Philly.

In John Street's seven years, Philadelphia's recycling rate hasn't budged. It isn't a matter of money. A 2005 report from the then-city controller concluded that recycling would save the city $17 million a year.

Still, the city is fiddling with its pilot programs, while freezing negotiations with RecycleBank. RecycleBank is a locally owned company that runs an "incentive"-based recycling pilot program involving 2,500 homes in Chestnut Hill and West Oak Lane. The company "pays" residents to recycle with an average of $400 in coupons redeemable at local merchants.

RecycleBank's Patrick Fitzgerald says he'd need only a sitdown with John Street to move recycling forward. But after eight months of stalled negotiations with the city's Department of Streets, the mayor has yet to grant Fitzgerald an audience.

I can't tell you why the mayor isn't interested. But it gives you a taste of hizzoner's contempt for recycling by the way the city treats the RAC.

To witness the RAC, one must first find the RAC — which is a bit like a scavenger hunt. The group meets monthly, on the third Tuesday, at 3 p.m., in the Municipal Services Building. But when I arrived, the RAC wasn't listed in the roster. "Oh," said the receptionist, "they probably forgot to call and cancel, again."

Seven RACsters soon appeared, and found a room for their monthly ritual of trying to extract information from the city.

Representing the Streets' department was Joan Hicken, the city's newest recycling coordinator. To be kind, I'll say that Hicken is awfully sincere; to be accurate, one must emphasis the word "awfully."

The RAC experts, volunteers all, were represented by Richard Bapst — who heads an association of trash-haulers.

Hicken kicked off the event by proclaiming the success of the city's recycling pilot program in the Northeast. "We've seen an increase of 29 percent!" she crowed.

To which the RACsters immediately and nearly unanimously responded, "Twenty-nine percent of what?" And "What was the gross and net tonnage?"

The recycling manager appeared shocked — hurt! — that they should ask for such numbers. Alas, she didn't have them with her — and offered her apologies.

To which Bapst exploded, saying that he's submitted piles of data requests, all to no avail. "We might as well turn the lights off, and go home."

Also ignored has been RAC's November 2005 resolution that calls on the city to increase RecycleBank's program to include up to 100,000 of the city's 530,000 households.

The Streets' department shot down RAC's request, saying that RecycleBanks' program doesn't deliver its claims of 40 percent trash diversion, with more than 90 percent household participation. But Maurice Sampson — a RACster, who did Hicken's job 20 years ago — says that the city's trash numbers are garbage: "Philadelphia cannot supply baseline data. And as a result, numbers are being invented and abused."

Into this mess Councilman Frank DiCicco will soon leap, with his recycling hearings next month. But few experts put much faith in DiCicco's divertisement. Because, ultimately, it'll take a new mayor to get recycling going. Which means the voters, at last, will get a chance to toss out the trash.

(bruce@schimmel.com)