Green Daily

Philadelphia isn't exactly the most evolved city in the U.S, especially when it comes to the environment. So it's not surprising that Philly residents were still separating their recyclables (paper in one bin, plastic in another) years after larger cities - Chicago, Boston, and Portland, Oregon, to name a few - had modernized their recycling programs.

But Philly is finally getting its act together: it recently announced its first single-stream recycling program, according to WHYY's It's Our City. The single-stream recycling program was enacted under new mayor Michael Nutter, who claims the city is the largest on the East Coast to boast such a program.

Obviously, the city hopes that making it easier to recycle will mean that more residents will make it a habit. But this isn't necessarily so. Maybe when recycling is as easy as breathing, everyone will participate. But until then, it'll still be a hassle to convince more people to think before they toss their plastics and paper into the trash. Meanwhile, the city will give out free recycling bins, and hope for the best.