SALVAGING SOLUTIONS
Pittsburgh, state organizations make recommendations for increasing and improving recycling statewide
Pittsburgh, along with the Pennsylvania Resource Council and PennEnvironment, on Wednesday released a series of recommendations on ways the state can increase and promote recycling.
The recommendations are centered in a report, with the intent to “update and modernize” Act 101, which is legislation passed in Pennsylvania in the 1980s to bolster recycling infrastructure through state funding, according to PRC deputy director Sarah Alessio Shea.
“Act 101, at the time of its passage, was groundbreaking,” said Pittsburgh’s Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak. “But it’s also important to note it was passed in 1988. To give you some context, I was born in 1988.”
One of the recommendations is that the state ensures all common items — like glass, paper, aluminum and steel — can be easily recycled through programs like curbside pickup.
“In Pennsylvania, like all of America, we have a stuff problem,” said Ashleigh Deemer, the deputy director for PennEnvironment. “From plastic bags to cellphones, we are encouraged to make, use and toss at the greatest possible speed. Unfortunately, there are very few easy, affordable accessible options for disposing of these
things responsibility and so we often just throw them away. Only there is no away.”
Noting that the issue of reducing waste and recycling has become more complex over the years since Act 101 was signed, the report is also calling for the state to “recommit” to the public education programs on recycling.
Act 101 already requires the state to provide public education on recycling, however, the report recommends that it update the practices used.
Another major focus of the report is increasing funding to already existing recycling programs and creating a system where manufacturers who create a lot of waste have to pay for it.
“If you’re manufacturing electronics or plastics that are difficult to recycle and do harm to our environment, it shouldn’t fall on consumers or local governments to pay to clean up the mess,” Ms. Deemer said.
She also noted that local municipalities are “not empowered” to create fees to support their recycling programs.
“The number and types of waste products we’re producing has gone up and at the same time our technological resources to address waste have greatly improved, but our laws and regulations have stalled,” Mr. Pawlak said.
Pittsburgh recently restarted their electronic waste collection program after halting it last fall when the company contracted for the collection quit. The city is now partnered with PRC to host the collection every Tuesday and Thursday.
Ms. Deemer called the report a “road map” for leaders to follow to strengthen their waste reduction efforts.
Another one of the recommendations was for people just to reduce the amount of waste they’re producing through efforts like banning single-use plastic bags.
After much debate, Pittsburgh City Council recently passed a plastic bag ban that will go into effect in early 2023.
The city has also been in the midst of distributing blue recycling bins to residents to encourage curbside pickup of easily recyclable items like cans, cardboard and glass bottles.
There are also plans in the works to launch a composting pilot program in two city neighborhoods next year, Mr. Pawlak said.
The 15 recommendations presented in the report are intended to “make Pennsylvania a leader” in reducing waste and litter, though Ms. Deemer noted that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all type of solution.
“The message I want to convey: There isn’t one single policy that will solve our waste crisis,” Ms. Deemer said. “It will require a concerted effort targeting each sect of the waste-making process.”