How to end illegal dumping in Philadelphia

Dumping happens in Philadelphia because we tolerate it. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s vision to make Philly the cleanest, greenest city is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but to get it right, we have to prevent dumping to begin with, manage materials to keep them from the waste stream, and have effective enforcement that truly deters dumping.

Cleaning does not end dumping. Without prevention, the “Clean and Green” initiative conveys the message that dumping is a fact of life that must be managed because it cannot be ended. At the scale of nearly 3,000 miles of streets and approximately 40,000 vacant lots, a cleaning program is neither up to resolving illegal dumping nor is it financially sustainable for the city of Philadelphia.

As necessary as cleaning is, it does not solve the problem. Dumping isn’t over until it ends everywhere. Legacy dumpsites are locations, often in residential neighborhoods, that are subject to an endless dump-and-clean cycle due to the lack of adequate prevention and enforcement policies by city government.

Many frontline community members face an uphill battle with legacy dumping. In some cases, these Philadelphians experience persistent dumping despite repeated cleanup efforts, sometimes over a period of years. “It’s environmental violence,” Jacquelyn Brown, a member of POWER Interfaith Climate Justice and Jobs Campaign, said at a recent meeting — and this disproportionately impacts Black, brown, and marginalized communities.

Weeks after the conclusion of the 13-week citywide cleanup, neighbors at community events in Fairhill and Harrowgate mapped 44 sites of active, ongoing dumping.

According to research published in 2014 by the nonprofit Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful that is unfortunately still relevant today: “Illegal dumping occurs most frequently in areas where the risk of detection and penalties are low. Economic conditions and business opportunities lure individuals to dump illegally. Lack of acceptable disposal or recycling outlets tempts people to dump illegally. An active illegal dumpsite attracts others who desire to dump illegally.”

Compared with other cities, Philadelphia has a large amount of construction and demolition materials in our municipal waste system. With the exception of one site within city limits, our organization Trash Academy has documented that small haulers pay the same minimum fee as large compactors, even if they are carrying a significantly smaller load.

Clean Water Action, in partnership with Trash Academy, launched the Clean Philadelphia Now campaign in March 2022 to connect those involved in cleanup campaigns. Together we identify illegal dumpsites and work for better waste collection practices to keep our neighborhoods clean.

We are calling for sanitation convenience centers to accept the loads of small haulers for a fee implemented through the Electronic Commercial Licensing, Inspection and Permitting Services Enterprise (eCLIPSE) system to better legally manage these materials. Additionally, the city should aggressively prosecute and publicize those who dump illegally to deter others from doing the same.

In 2022, we held a five-part online teach-in to become our own experts on the issue of illegal dumping and what can be done about it.

As many in the coalition Clean Philadelphia Now can attest, Philadelphia has all the drivers for illegal dumping. Not only do active illegal dumpsites attract others to dump illegally, but they also create conditions for normalizing dumping.

Sometimes this looks like “theft of services” by dumping in local dumpsters, such as alongside businesses or schools, or utilizing telephone poles and corners that become regular repositories for bags of trash all week long. Neighbors (particularly in areas with high-density housing) might engage in active residential dumping to manage waste, often as a result of a lack of receptacles and storage space, or attached rowhouses with no access from rear to front without moving waste through the house.

The Clean Philadelphia Now platform summarizes our findings and recommendations to end illegal dumping forever by 2028. To succeed, Philadelphia needs a comprehensive strategy that includes prevention, abatement, enforcement, and education.

Lois Williams, Teea Tynes, and Shari Hersh are codirectors of Trash Academy.