Celebrating Solar at “Sun Day,” trash burning ban proposed & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:

Philly mobilizes for Sun Day solar energy celebration. Philly-area energy advocates joined a worldwide celebration of solar power on September 21 at Love Park. As Philadelphia welcomes more solar installations through initiatives like Solar For Schools, Sun Day highlighted how transitioning to solar energy impacts the city.

Councilmember Gauthier introduces bill to ban burning trash. In the opening weeks of this council session, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced a bill called the Stop Trashing Our Air Act to prohibit the city of Philadelphia from working with solid waste contractors who incinerate Philly’s trash – such as the Covanta Incinerator in Chester County. This comes just after Philadelphia was named one of the asthma capitals of the U.S. 

Updated water quality standards for the Delaware River. On Monday, the United States EPA finalized a rule revising and increasing water quality standards for the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington. The rule was a response to a legal petition and litigation led by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. To find out more about the Delaware River’s impact on the Philly region, check out the 2025 Delaware River Festival on Saturday, September 27th. 

City sues bread and Ziploc companies over ‘misleading’ recycling labels. On Wednesday, the City of Philadelphia, with co-counsel Hausfeld LLP, sued Bimbo Bakeries and SC Johnson for allegedly misleading consumers into believing their plastic packaging was recyclable. This is due to the companies’ use of the “chasing arrows” symbol on their packaging, which is a universally recognized recyclying symbol.

Cover photo: Sun Day celebration in Love Park, courtesy of Philadelphia Solar Energy Association