Tracking Philadelphia's trash collection

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.