If Philadelphians didn’t have concerns about the City of Philadelphia’s waste management system before July’s District Council 33 strike, we do now. Seeing putrid waste pile up in our neighborhoods was disgusting; seeing how ill-equipped the City handled the waste was frustrating. If there was an upside, it was that Philadelphians realized our trash has to go somewhere.

For those still wondering, that “somewhere” is currently incinerators and the ground — basically the same solution that humans have been doing for thousands of years. Only today, we understand the ecological consequences of our reckless waste disposal: landfills pollute groundwater; the food waste rotting in landfills contribute 17 percent of the methane emissions fueling climate change; incinerators cause air pollut

See Full Page