Philly Talks Trash Spring 2025

June 15, 2025 Comments Off

We’re proud to announce that Philly Talks Trash Quarterly is officially turning two years old! For two years, this volunteer-run publication has been lifting up local environmental stories, connecting neighbors, and shining a light on the people working to make Philadelphia cleaner, healthier, and more just. We’re grateful for every reader, every share, and every moment of engagement that’s helped build this community-powered platform.

This issue comes at a moment when the Pennsylvania House has passed a Community Solar bill, a major win for clean energy access which now goes to the Senate, while here at home, Philly Unwrapped has launched its Food and Beverage Sector Waste Reduction Toolkit Working Group—a coalition effort focused on cutting single-use waste across cafés, restaurants, bars, and event venues. We invite community organizers, owners, and anyone concerned with waste in their local spaces to get involved. If your organization produces – or you even just notice – an excess of single-use packaging in your environment, this effort is for you. Sign up here.

This month, we feature David Evans, Executive Director of Block by Block, and highlight the critical work of Clean Philadelphia Now and others confronting the toxic legacy of illegal dumping in our neighborhoods.

In a time when both public trust and environmental stability are under pressure, we believe that clear information and collective action are essential. Thank you for being in this work with us.

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🖋️ From Our Guest Author:
David Evans, executive director of Block by Block Philadelphia

End Illegal Dumping by 2028
I used to walk my son to Community Partnership Elementary School. Our route led us behind another neighborhood school where we always saw piles of illegally dumped materials – mattresses, couches, tires, drywall, an apparently abandoned U-haul cargo trailer filled with construction material. Because I am a co-founder of a nonprofit called Block By Block Philly, this bothered me to no end.

Getting the dumped material removed was a lengthy process. I thought calling U-Haul might get their trailer removed. It did not. After trying 311 to no avail for several weeks, I called other city offices. The city thought the location was private property, so they refused to clean it and it remained an active dump site for months – encouraging even more dumping. Finally, the city did come and clean it up.

Ironically one of the six city-operated free convenience trash drop off sites is a block and a half from the school. But the city does not accept any construction material at the convenience centers. So, how are we as a city supposed to dispose of construction materials?

Today we cannot put construction material out with the weekly trash. We cannot dispose of construction material at the six convenience centers. The only legal option is to dispose of it at a commercial dump site, which may be far away and costs a minimum of $120 dollars. Instead of paying, a lot of small contractors take their chances by dumping on the streets. And they are rewarded because the city simply picks it up. Even if there are cameras the city is not sufficiently staffed to review the videos. And they don’t use AI to monitor the cameras, which is possible and has been proposed.

My nonprofit, Block By Block, has joined forces with several other like-minded Philadelphia organizations to form a coalition called Clean Philadelphia Now. Together we are focused on ending illegal dumping by 2028. We think it is possible by implementing two policies: one, open all convenience centers for small haulers to dispose of construction material at a nominal cost; and two, increase enforcement and penalties – impound vehicles, and shame dumpers by posting their names and photos. We as consumers can choose not to use their businesses.

After asking several city council members to hear our ideas for more than two years, one city council member has not only heard us but become our champion. Council member Anthony Phillips has met with us several times and he has brought us to city hall so all of council can hear from our coalition and from neighbors who have suffered the consequences of dumping. Several of our proposals have been incorporated by the Parker administration but that said, it is not enough. Philadelphia spends $48 million annually on cleanup-related activities, with 88% of the budget allocated toward abatement and only 12% spent on prevention or enforcement. We’d like to balance that out, as prevention and enforcement will lower the need for abatement.

With the right policies we can end illegal dumping and meet the goal of a clean city by 2028!

A community builder for over 20 years, David Evans connects people and strengthens neighborhoods through his experience in real estate and hospitality. As co-founder of Block By Block Philly, a nonprofit aiming to make Philadelphia America’s cleanest city, he serves as block captain, judge of elections, and committee person. His programs tackle local challenges from food access to illegal dumping, making civic engagement accessible through cleanups and policy education. David believes in empowering neighbors to create change at the grassroots level

🗳️ Politics and Legislation

On May 7, the PA General Assembly approved HB 504, the Community Energy Act with significant bipartisan votes. A part of Governor Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan,” the bill supports two types of energy: Community Solar and methane digesters by which farmers can convert animal waste to fuel. Community Solar is of particular benefit to Philadelphians who cannot afford the upfront costs of solar installation, who rent their homes, or who have shaded or otherwise unsuitable roofs. By subscribing to a Community Solar facility, people in all these circumstances can boost our region’s clean energy output and benefit from the resulting cost savings.

The companion bill in the Senate (SB 504) resides in the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, chaired by Senator Pat Stefano who represents several counties in western PA. Stefano prevented the bill from coming to a vote in the previous legislative session, and is reportedly planning to do so again this session. Please add contacting the senator to your ‘to do’ list.

📅 Events 📝

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📅 June 21 • International Surfing Day supports coastal environments • Started in 2005, International Surfing Day (ISD) is an international celebration of the love of surfing for all people to enjoy. The day was established by the Surfrider Foundation and partners to raise awareness and support for our world’s beaches and coastal environments. Now in its 21st year, ISD has grown into the largest global activation for Surfrider each year, with more than 150 events taking place worldwide in 2024.Over the years, ISD event locations have included Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, France, the UK, Argentina, Japan, and thousands of events in the United States!

📅 Aug 9 • Montauk, NY • One Ocean • Surfrider hosts annual fundraising events in NY (summer) and California (fall) to support ocean protection. These events gather 300+ attendees including donors, celebrities, and environmental advocates for an evening of cocktails, auctions, music, and farm-to-table dining, while celebrating coastal conservation achievements.

🌐 Plastic-reduction Resources 🤝🏽

The problems we face with plastic proliferation are great, but an ever-growing group of organizations, laws, and policies are taking aim at the issue, and small businesses are looking to meet the need for products without plastics. The Philly Talks Trash Resource Page is an expanding collection of waste-reduction information, politics, articles, products, and organizations, all focused on reducing plastic use. If you have suggestions for the page please email us. We will highlight a few products and organizations in each newsletter and the link to the full and growing list will always be available at bit.ly/pttq.

Philadelphia Sustainable Packing Alliance
Join the Philadelphia Sustainable Packing Alliance if you want to learn about ways to make your product’s packaging more sustainable.