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To authorize a plan for evaluation and potential restructuring of the City’s solid waste management and recycling systems, including consideration of long-term recycling processing and long-term waste disposal services featuring specific infrastructure developments, establishing strict waste reduction and diversion targets, and transition toward a sustainable and equitable waste management economy, to be known as the "Philadelphia Zero Waste Circular Economy Act ,” all under certain terms and conditions.
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WHEREAS, the City of Philadelphia is committed to protecting the public health, safety, and environment of its residents, while building a robust, equitable, and sustainable local economy; and
WHEREAS, transitioning to a Zero Waste Circular Economy will preserve resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create local green jobs, drive economic value, and reduce the City's reliance on traditional waste disposal methods; and
WHEREAS, ensuring sustainable, efficient municipal services and a successful, resilient transition to a zero-waste economy requires establishment of clear goals and objectives, long-term infrastructure planning, robust public education and transparency, and modern technology and operational improvements; now, therefore,
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. This Ordinance shall be known as the "Philadelphia Zero Waste Circular Economy Act ."
SECTION 2. Development of the Philadelphia Zero Waste Circular Economy Plan.
(a) The Mayor’s Administration is hereby called upon and authorized to prepare and publicize a comprehensive strategy to be known as the "Philadelphia Zero Waste Circular Economy Plan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan").
(b) The parts of the Plan are as follows:
(1) Part One: Policy Formulation and Targets. Part One shall involve establishment of policy over a twenty-four (24) to thirty-six (36) month timeline detailing the structural transition of Philadelphia's waste management system. The goal is to articulate strategies, investments, policies, and programs needed to achieve a sixty percent (60%) total waste diversion rate and a reduced reliance on traditional disposal methods including waste incineration and landfilling. This section shall focus on public and private zero waste circular-economy investments, primarily including; (.a) organic waste diversion methods such as municipal composting networks and anaerobic digestion; and (.b) efforts to increase recycling, including but not limited to local repair hubs, materials reuse and hard-to-recycle material centers, and advanced recycling infrastructure.
(2) Part Two: Operational Methods. Part Two shall involve evaluation of current municipal collection practices and comparison of them with national and international best practices. Modernized waste collection methods shall be considered, including underground waste storage-collection systems, vehicle upgrades, and automated equipment to improve route efficiency, reduce neighborhood litter, and maximize frontline worker safety. Recommendations shall emphasize maximizing waste diversion through tailored strategies for major waste streams -- including organics, recyclables, reusable and recoverable materials, construction and demolition debris, textiles, bulk goods, special and hazardous wastes, and residual waste -- rather than applying a single management approach to the municipal waste stream as a whole.
The planning process should explicitly account for the unique geographic, demographic, and operational configurations of Philadelphia’s six (6) designated sanitation areas. Plan preparation shall involve active engagement with residents, small businesses currently served by municipal collection routes, and the private commercial sector within each of the six sanitation areas.
RFPs for long-term contracts of up to twenty (20) years for comprehensive recycling processing services and long-term waste disposal services shall be duly considered. Contracts may include terms for intermodal waste-to-rail services to maximize local recovery and long-distance transport efficiency for waste, recycled, reusable, and compost products, the use of additional composting facilities, and the construction of an anaerobic digestion facility to capture energy and process source-separated organic waste to divert organic waste from traditional disposal methods.
(3) Part Three: Financial and Institutional Implementation. Part Three shall involve identification, outlining and securing the specific institutional mechanisms, capital-bonding strategies, public-private partnerships, fee structures, or grant frameworks necessary to fully fund and execute the infrastructure and program mandates of the entire Plan. Part Three shall be developed in direct coordination with the Office of the Director of Finance and other relevant departments and offices.
(c) Council recommends that the Mayor’s Clean and Green Cabinet appoint and oversee a special commission for the deliberation and preparation of the Plan. At the direction of the Commission, “The Plan” may be prepared through the contracted services of a qualified professional consulting team with demonstrated expertise in writing Zero Waste Plans that adhere to the international definition of Zero Waste posted at https://zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/. The various parts of the Plan may proceed simultaneously and may build upon and refine existing efforts where applicable.
(d) The Plan shall be finalized and approved by City Council no later than the end date of the initial term of the next recycling processing contract entered into by the City.
SECTION 3. The Clean and Green Cabinet shall provide periodic progress reports to the Mayor and Council concerning RFP statuses, consultation updates, community engagement strategies, and budgetary expenditures, consistent with the terms of this Ordinance.
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