Today, Will and I (Tyiana) visited the Forge Recycling Waste Management and Recycling Services. I don’t know what I expected before we got there. I guess I was picturing somewhere much cleaner and maybe greener (not sure why). But upon arrival, we were not greeted with the recycling symbol plastered on the side of the building, but rather the smell of trash trucks. Still, I would choose 10 times again to visit the center. I was able to get a firsthand look at what really happens once your trash and recycling are picked up. I saw the separation (by hand) of waste and the energy that it takes to do. The work of the people done by the employees at the facility is not to be mocked. I now have even more respect for them and appreciation of their time. I also gained a new perspective in what should and shouldn’t be done when recycling.

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When Tyiana and I (William) visited the recycling center, I was expecting something on the lines of a much neater place. Though a lot of hard work is put into separating and sorting all of the recycled material, they do not save all of it from landfills.

The system that we have in Philadelphia (single stream) is not as effective as separating the recycling at home. Other cities have updated forms of recycling that keep our world cleaner and puts less trash in the landfills. Philadelphia could be inspired by these other cities and countries and strive for a cleaner city and a cleaner world.