PGW Joins Philadelphia’s Department of Sanitation and Sustainability Partners for an Update on the City’s Municipal Solid Waste Contracts
Posted on: Jul 13, 2026PHILADELPHIA – On Friday, July 10, the Department of Sanitation was joined by its sustainability partners in a press briefing on the status of the City’s Municipal Solid Waste Contracts. Pennsylvania's Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101) requires counties and municipalities to implement a "fair, open, and competitive" process for selecting waste management and disposal programs. This ensures equitable access to capacity and guards against favoritism, fraud, and extravagance. As part of the evaluation and selection processes for the new contracts the Sanitation Department utilized the City of Philadelphia’s Best Value RFP process to evaluate all bids and responses to the waste and recycling RFPs, including a new category that evaluates environmental sustainability, along with capacity and cost which are a part of the negotiation process.
The City of Philadelphia Municipal Solid Waste and Recycling contracts expired June 30, 2026. Contract extensions for a period of six months were executed through the Procurement Department to allow the Sanitation Department sufficient time to evaluate bids submitted in response to City’s Request for Proposals (RFP) Process, negotiate costs, and work with Procurement to post the new contract awards and prepare ordinances for City Council approval. Prior to the contract negotiations, the City met with multiple entities to learn about their concerns and interests related to the waste RFP. As a result, a component was added to evaluate environmental impacts as part of the RFP selection process. This added provision allowed for an objective evaluation of various waste strategies, and an effective and efficient determination of the environmental impacts of each option submitted.
Evaluation criteria during the process included costs, transportation impact assessment, environmental impact assessment (landfill and waste to energy comparisons, emissions data), education and litter support. In addition, two independent firms, MSW Consultants and Civil & Environmental Consultants, conducted environmental impact analyses. Negotiations are completed and the results have been submitted to the Procurement Department for posting and vendor notifications. Posting of the Notice of Intent to award will be on July 10, 2026 at www.phlcontracts.phila.gov.
The evaluation of the contracts through the Best Value RFP process provides an opportunity for the Sanitation Department to deliver a recommendation that is fiscally and environmentally responsible to the residents and stakeholders of Philadelphia. Given the deep concerns about the environmental impact of the City’s waste disposal, the Department sought to take careful deliberation to ensure a sound decision was made in managing the city’s waste and recycling.
The evaluation and selection process included a panel of various sustainability partners. The Committee Review of Proposals included representatives from the Department of Sanitation, Office of Sustainability, Department of Health, and Office of Clean and Green.
“Our goal through this RFP process was to encourage competitive bidding from multiple waste disposal companies to offer solutions that provide environmentally sustainable and fiscally responsible proposals to consider that meets the City’s vision of a safer, cleaner, and greener Philadelphia,” said Carlton Williams, Director, Office of Clean and Green Initiatives. “We believe the RFP Process will lead to a contract that is financially sound, environmentally safe (according to PADEP standards) and includes the best option for the City to explore alternative methods for disposal.”
“Ultimately our plan of action is to invest in practices that helps the City meet its zero waste goals by creating systems where the City’s waste is diverted into more sustainable processes,” said Crystal Jacobs Shipman, Commissioner, Department of Sanitation. “The city will continue to explore alternative methods for disposal including organics processing, composting, textiles recovery, recycling, and anaerobic digestion. We will utilize what’s at our disposal presently by awarding a contract to the respondents of the Best Value RFP.”
“Balancing the benefits and harms from waste management is one of the toughest aspects of public health,” said Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson, Commissioner, Department of Public Health. “The efficient management of our City’s waste is a key consideration in the health of our residents, but traditional methods of that management can be harmful. The Health Department was pleased to participate in this RFP process, and is excited to help every step of the way as we make Philadelphia the cleanest, greenest, and safest big city in America, with economic opportunity for all.”
“The City recognizes that the most sustainable approach to waste management is to lead with waste reduction,” said Elizabeth Lankenau, Director, Office of Sustainability. The Office of Sustainability is committed to collaborating with the Office and Clean and Green, the Sanitation Department, and partners across the city to advance and accelerate zero waste goals. In particular, we are excited to support the innovative organics and sortation pilot ideas that resulted from this RFP process.”
“Waste diversion in Philadelphia is one impactful way for Philadelphia Gas Works to help lower greenhouse gas emissions and lead Philadelphia’s clean energy goals forward,” said Elliott Gold, Vice President of Corporate Planning, PGW. “This partnership can help identify and evaluate options for sorting, diverting and processing organic waste to productive purposes.”
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