Update: On June 30, 2019 the Philacycle program was discontinued and is no longer enrolling new members.
Each year, Philadelphia draws millions of visitors as a host of large public events. The Philadelphia Marathon is one of its top attractions and draws nearly 100,000 people to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway every fall. Having events this large, however, does produce a significant amount of waste. This requires much planning and management in order to engage residents and attendees in the City’s zero waste efforts. With the help of over 140 volunteers from the Philacycle Program, 90% of waste was diverted from the landfill at the 2017 Marathon.
The Philacycle Program is one of many strategies presented in the new Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet Action Plan. Philacycle is the Cabinet’s outreach and community engagement program and the result of a merge between Waste Watchers and the Philadelphia Recycling Rewards Program. As Philacyclers, residents participate in a certification program that trains them on organizing block cleanups, educating community members about zero waste practices, and volunteering at zero waste events. Participating in these events earn residents rewards and incentives as well!
The Marathon was Philacycle’s latest event, with many trained Captains and volunteers descending on Eakin’s Oval to help attendees sort their waste. Waste was separated into three color-coded bins: a brown trash bin, blue recycling bin, and green compost bin. Over 50 bin systems were placed in strategic locations throughout the footprint, with trained volunteers at the majority of stations. Each volunteer had special cheat-sheets made for the event that they used to educate and engage attendees on recycling and composting best practices. Special thanks to the teams of students from Central High School for being an integral part of each year’s Zero Waste initiative at the Marathon!
If you are an event organizer who is interested in incorporating zero waste efforts at your event check out this guide. You can even have your event recognized by the City by filling out this form!
