SmartCityPHL Launches E-Waste and Textile Recycling Pilot

By: Francesca Furey

Looking to dispose of old cell phone models that live in a drawer and collect dust? How about piles of outfits that no longer fit?

The City of Philadelphia’s new partnership with Retrievr lets you do just that, all while abiding by social distancing guidelines. Retrievr is a pickup service that allows residents to safely and responsibly recycle unwanted clothing and electronics from the comfort of their own home. 

The initiative came about through the City of Philadelphia’s SmartCityPHL Roadmap program, designed to foster innovative solutions to city problems. On May 28, the partnership with Retrievr was announced via its Pitch & Pilot program, which encourages city workers and outside collaborators to brainstorm solutions to municipal challenges and test out various technologies.

“Clothing and textiles are a big item that end up in landfills, and right now, there’s no systematic way to recycle those,” says Joanna Hecht, a Pitch & Pilot fellow.

Every year, Philadelphia generates 1.5 million tons of municipal waste, according to CleanPHL. Without city-wide recycling efforts and anti-dumping plans, this number could rise considerably. Electronics and textiles amount to approximately 10 percent of the city’s waste stream, according to SmartCity. MotherJones reported 70 percent of toxins in landfills are from e-waste. 

In the United States, only 15 percent of textiles are recycled, leaving 85 percent to be incinerated or left in landfills, according to a 2019 report by the Environment Protection Agency.

“Ultimately the goal is to create a mechanism that allows us to partner with the private sector to solve municipal challenges,” says Emily Yates, SmartCity director. “We really want to create a mechanism that allows us to pilot and test out technologies and evaluate them so we understand what works and what doesn’t … this is our way of being nimble to the need of innovation, and, and really identifying great opportunities to partner with the private sector.”

When Pitch & Pilot team members first came together to find a challenge to tackle, waste diversion “rose to the top,” Hecht says. The team saw that waste- and water-based topics were a key problem for Philadelphia residents.

Battling waste diversion can be “tech-enabled” and can “align with the overall goals of the SmartCity Roadmap, which are inclusive, equitable, collaborative and locally inspired,” Yates adds. 

“Water and waste have been identified as a key problem by Philadelphia residents in surveys,” Hecht says. “We have the opportunity to not only address [waste diversion] and our broader goals by reducing the amount of waste that goes to the landfill, but also, I’m seeing an equitable solution that could be accessed by people all over the city.”

The SmartCity team saw that overcoming waste challenges would improve the quality of life for Philadelphians, and inspire sustainability and environmental practices.

In December 2019, SmartCity had an open call for companies to submit proposals with the focus of waste reduction and increasing waste diversion from landfills. More than 20 firms from around the globe responded to the Pitch & Pilot challenge. 

The first winner of the challenge was Retrievr — a company that “returns value to unwanted clothing, shoes and electronics,” by offering contactless, doorstep pickup, according to its website.

Now, Philadelphians have the opportunity to divert their waste from landfills. For those at home who recently finished up their spring cleaning or have old, unwanted clothes and technology they’ve had for years, this is good news.

Retrievr is simple and accessible, Yates says. The company provides doorstep pickups for clothing and electronics, like laptops or computers, televisions, and air conditioners. The pickup services are free for clothing and small electronics; there is a small fee for larger electronic items.

“Walking around the streets of Philadelphia, I constantly see people throwing stuff out in the trash—probably because we have no clue what to do with it,” says Yates. “There’s no additional cost to the citizens and it’s as easy as possible … right now it seems like a great option to offer the citizens of Philadelphia.”

Residents can visit Retrievr’s website, text PICKUP to 757-70-FETCH, or call 757-70-FETCH (757-703-3824) to schedule a pickup. By dividing its service areas into regions and routes, and then designating neighborhoods from specific days of the week, the company can avoid wasting gas and schedule pickups in concentrated areas, Hecht says. 

The company will then identify any uses before they responsibly recycle items. For example, Retrievr might resell certain items or recycle them for parts, according to its website. Hecht believes its responsible practices and efficiency in the recycling process made it a perfect fit for the first pilot of the program.

Not only does Retrievr limit e-waste chemicals from ground and air pollution and the number of textiles in landfills, but it also promotes contactless sustainable efforts. In times like this, many of us are restricted in terms of sustainability and thinking green. In this retrospect, Retrievr’s services are “well-timed,” says Yates.

“A lot of other options for disposing [e-waste and clothing] responsibly, are just not available right now,” Hecht adds. For those looking to get rid of these items that are piling up in their homes, now is a great time to use Retrievr, Yates says.

With the limitations put in place during COVID-19, Retrievr and its employees have become very aware of contact challenges and social distancing guidelines, Yates says. The company paused its services until May 4 in order to protect its employees and introduce protective measures.

Retrievr follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and requires sanitization of its trucks, equipment and recyclable items. Yates believes that Retrievr’s services are more important than ever, as it promotes sustainability while remaining contactless amid the pandemic.

“[COVID-19] has created a space for people to think more clearly about our environment and what we’re putting out there,” Yates adds. “I’m hoping that this translates to people being more conscientious about what they’re throwing in the waste stream.”

Over the last few months, residents have not had the opportunity to recycle or donate unwanted items. Donation centers and charitable organizations were deemed nonessential businesses. Now, as states and cities slowly reopen, some are still cautious about unnecessary trips that can increase exposure for themselves and others.

Yates says that added trips to donation centers understandably make her and others uncomfortable. Now with a middle-man like Retrievr, citizens can remain healthy while responsibly disposing of goods.

Retrievr makes recycling easy and hassle free, and residents can do it at the click of a button. Just leave your clothing and electronics at your doorstep on the scheduled day, and voila—you’ve helped divert your waste.

“I think it just really makes it easy for people to do the correct thing with their waste. This is a service that the city is providing, free of cost, to come to your house and pick it up without any danger to your safety,” Yates says.

Residents can now also schedule pickups for their clothes and e-waste. The service is available city-wide. It’s refreshing to know that sustainable and environmental efforts are still possible, even from home.

Collections will begin on Monday, June 8, in Philadelphia. As Retrievr is a pilot program, pickups and recycling rates will be assessed so Smart City collaborators can evaluate its impacts in city waste diversion.

Here’s how you can schedule a contactless pickup:

• Visit Retrievr’s website

• Text PICKUP to 757-70-FETCH (757-703-3824)

• Call 757-70-FETCH (757-703-3824)

Check out what items are accepted here. If your item is too large or not an accepted item by Retrievr, find a trash or recycling center near you.

*Originally published 07/15/2020