Philadelphia sanitation department launches waste, recycling portal

Last week, the Philadelphia Department of Sanitation launched its Commercial Waste and Recycling Portal, a new centralized platform aimed at helping Philadelphia businesses meet city and state recycling requirements more easily and consistently.

The portal consolidates multiple reporting and compliance processes into one location, a move aimed at improving efficiency for businesses and support Philadelphia’s broader recycling and sustainability goals.

According to Philadelphia officials, the new portal is designed to simplify mandatory recycling reporting, reduce administrative burden and ensure more consistent and accurate data submission across the commercial sector, saying the portal will be a “one-stop shop” for commercial entities to submit anything waste and recycling related.

Officials say the goal is to make the process easier for businesses to plan for their waste, stay in compliance with waste regulations and find resources for communication with patrons.

New features of the portal include a centralized submission platform, simplified forms and an updated certificate, and by the summer, businesses will have access to inspection reports performed by the city’s Streets & Walkways Education Enforcement Program (SWEEP) officers, including records of any associated violations.

Through the portal, businesses can submit or revise waste and recycling plans, which is required documentation submitted to Philadelphia’s recycling office; access recycling resources, including guides, posters and handouts; and submit annual recycling reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Haulers and document destruction companies also can submit annual recycling reports through the updated portal.

According to a Dec. 23 announcement, Philadelphia officials plan to perform outreach to educate businesses about the new platform and SWEEP officers will be available to guide businesses in best practices.

For more information on the Commercial Waste and Recycling Portal, visit the city of Philadelphia website.