Philadelphia has taken a significant step towards sustainability with the introduction of resourcePhilly, an innovative online platform designed to help residents tackle the confusion surrounding the disposal of unwanted household items.
This initiative, a collaboration between Circular Philadelphia and The Resource Exchange, aims to address the staggering 2.3 billion pounds of waste sent annually to landfills and incinerators within the city.
Samantha Wittchen, co-founder and Interim Executive Director of Circular Philadelphia, emphasized the importance of this tool, stating, “resourcePhilly is an important step toward making Philadelphia cleaner and greener.”
Until now, residents, even those who are environmentally conscious, have struggled to find effective resources for donating or recycling a wide variety of items, such as old roller skates, used bed sheets, and string lights. This new platform seeks to fill that void.
Users can input the items they wish to donate or sell, and resourcePhilly will generate a prioritized list of local resources, complete with links and necessary information.
The platform covers a broad range of products, encompassing everything from garden hoses and musical instruments to bubble wrap and batteries, ultimately placing community members in touch with businesses and organizations that emphasize reuse and waste minimization.
For the past decade, The Resource Exchange has operated a physical version of resourcePhilly in their thrift store, situated in Kensington. Each month, hundreds of customers would navigate the hand-painted corkboard cluttered with paper guides to find locations for donating their items.
Karyn Gerred, Executive Director of The Resource Exchange, describes the physical corkboard as a “labor of love,” noting the extensive effort required to keep it current.
By transitioning the database to an online format, the initiative aims to reach a larger audience and significantly impact the estimated 1,150,000 tons of waste Philadelphia disposes of every year.
“Making reuse and recycling turnkey for busy people is key to making it sustainable and scalable,” Gerred points out, highlighting the need for accessible options for the city’s residents.
Circular Philadelphia has a history of fostering collaboration among individuals, businesses, and policymakers to promote a circular economy. Their Zero Waste at Home Guide has helped community members adopt zero-waste practices in their everyday lives.
The development of this website followed extensive research, including surveys and interviews with Philadelphia residents to better understand their challenges regarding waste disposal.
The organizations are committed to continuously collecting user feedback to enhance the platform, while also allowing businesses and organizations to manage their information directly, minimizing the administrative burden.
resourcePhilly stands out as one of the first websites of its kind in the United States, with the potential to save more energy compared to traditional recycling methods.
Wittchen also pointed to the intersection of environmental sustainability and social justice, stating, “Circularity is environmental justice.”
She raised concerns regarding the Chester incinerator, which disproportionately impacts under-resourced populations by contributing to higher asthma rates and pollution in those areas.
By promoting waste reduction and sustainable practices, resourcePhilly seeks to break this cycle of environmental injustice perpetuated by existing waste management systems.
In a city grappling with significant waste management challenges, resourcePhilly emerges as a beacon of hope, offering practical pathways for residents to contribute to a greener future.
image source from：metrophiladelphia
