Nov 5, 2021 - News
Tracking Philadelphia's trash collection
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A new report has confirmed what we've all known: Trash collection rates plummeted during the pandemic.
State of play: Philadelphia's on-time trash collection rate was 53% during fiscal year 2021, according to a report from City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart on Thursday.
- That's a significant drop from an 82% average rate in the three years leading up to the pandemic.
- And curbside garbage tonnage spiked 21% during the 2021 fiscal year compared to the previous year, per the report.
Top takeaway: "One point is clear: trash collection, one of the core services of city government, is not equal in Philadelphia," Rhynhart wrote in her report.
- Lower Northeast Philadelphia had one of the lowest on-time collection rates in 2021, at 31%.
- Only Center City, Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Kensington averaged on-time collection rates above 70% in 2021.
Go deeper: Explore the data around each sanitation district in Rhynhart's full report.
