Philly Talks Trash: A Virtual Series on Waste is a collaboration between the Philadelphia Neighborhood Network’s Environment Action Committee and the Plastic Reduction Task Force of Weavers Way Co-op. Monthly programs will be offered featuring representatives from nonprofits, government programs, and businesses that are working to reduce waste and increase reuse and recycling in the Greater Philadelphia region. Topics will include single-use plastics, food waste and recovery, packaging, recycling, incineration, litter and dumping. Each program will take place on the third Thursday of the month from 6:30 - 8:00 PM.

More information about the individual program, guest speakers and event registration is available here. Free and open to everyone.

Program Schedule

January 20 Re-thinking Waste: The Story of Plastic and the Circular Economy | Recording

February 17 Food: Waste Reduction and Recovery | Recording

March 17 Philly's Trash and Recycling Crisis

April 21 Growing Circular Reuse Models in Foodservice and Grocery

May 19 Incineration: Why Philly Needs to top Sending our Trash to Chester

June 16 Managing Food Waste at Home

July 21 Litter and Dumping (Fugitive Waste)

March 17th Program

Philly's Trash and Recycling Crisis and what you can do about it

March 17th 6:30 - 8:00 pm

It seems that not a day goes by that we as consumers and businesses face a myriad of decisions about the best way to dispose of our trash. For many, there is confusion and cynicism about what you should be able to recycle and what happens to those things once they are collected by Mayor Kenney’s Streets Department? While effective recycling plays a critical role in managing waste it is also imperative to reduce waste as close to the source as possible.

For our March program, Maurice Sampson, Philadelphia’s first Recycling Coordinator (1985 to 1987) and longtime environmental advocate, will join Julie Hancher, co-founder and editor of Green Philly, to offer a historical and public perspective of the City of Philadelphia’s recycling efforts. For those who do not want to wait till 2035 to practice zero waste, there will also be a panel discussion among representatives of three local companies: Alex Torrey of The Rounds, offering home delivery of products without packaging and in refillable containers; Tim Bennett of Bennett Composting, which picks up your food waste; and Matt Siegfried of Rabbit Recycling, which collects virtually anything you would like to recycle from your home.