Action Needed NOW – Please make calls today!
Bill #250768, the “Stop Trashing Our Air Act,” was introduced by Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) “prohibiting the City of Philadelphia from contracting with companies that incinerate the city’s solid waste or recyclables”. This would ban the export of Philly’s trash to Chester, PA where the REWORLD (Covanta) trash incinerator, the largest in the nation, gravely pollutes the air and water, harms peoples’ health and has ruined the community’s environment for decades.
PLEASE CALL THESE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ADVOCATE THEY VOTE YES:
- Council Member Nina Ahmad (At Large) – (215) 686-3450 / nina.ahmad@phila.gov
- Council Member Jim Harrity (At Large) – (215) 686-8295 / jim.harrity@phila.gov
- Council Member Cindy Bass (District 8) – (215) 686-3424 & (215) 686-3425 / cindy.bass@phila.gov
- Council Member Mike Driscoll (District 6) – (215) 686-3444 & (215) 686-3445 / mike.driscoll@phila.gov
- And THANK Councilmember Jamie Gauthier for her sponsorship and action! Jamie.Gauthier@phila.gov
Several council members have expressed support but those named above need to hear from you as they have not yet come out for the bill. Their votes are critical.
From the City Council website: “According to Gauthier’s office, 37% of Philadelphia’s trash is burned, and nearly one-third of materials incinerated at the Reworld (Covanta) trash incinerator in Chester, Pa., comes from Philadelphia. This incinerator alone burns 3,500 tons of trash and industrial waste daily. Over 2,400 tons of scrap tires that are “recycled” in Philadelphia also get incinerated in Chester annually. The City of Philadelphia’s current waste disposal contracts expire at the end of the fiscal year.”
See the Fact Sheet here.
On Monday, November 17, the Committee on the Environment of the Council of the City of Philadelphia will hold a Public Hearing on this bill. We encourage you to provide public testimony at the hearing.
Hearing Monday, November 17, 2025, at 1:00 PM, in
Room 400, City Hall
In order to provide public testimony, you must contact the Committee Chair’s Office (Jamie Gauthier) by 3:00pm the day before the hearing and submit the following: Full Name, Callback Telephone Number, the Bill Number that will be addressed (Bill #250768)
How to provide public testimony:
https://phlcouncil.com/offering-public-testimony-at-council-public-hearings/
THANK YOU FOR TAKING ACTION!