What’s the 511

511 N Broad · Philadelphia

Trash & recycling

Trash at 511 is a manual job for the janitor team: someone moves each piece of trash from the trash chute container to the dumpster on Nectarine. All items must be put in bags and all bags must be tied shut.

Rules and best practices: bagged trash only; recycling goes outside in the bins on Nectarine Street. Beside the text, the steel trash chute hopper on the wall of the chute room, with a notice above it and the room door open on the right.
Where trash goes at 511: tied bags in the chute; cardboard, glass, plastics 1–5, paper, metal, and cartons in the Nectarine Street recycling bins; broken glass, plastic bags, greasy food containers, and shredded paper are not recyclable here; batteries, mattresses, furniture, paint, and debris never go in the chute or bins.

Chute

Two photos. Left: the beige door at the end of the carpeted hallway, under an exit sign. Right: the stainless rubbish chute on the wall beside that door, with the household trash guidelines sign above it.
Left: the door at the end of the hallway. Right: the rubbish chute on the wall beside it.

The chute is on the wall beside the door at the end of the hallway.

  • Put household trash in bags and tie them shut.
  • Keep cardboard out of the chute so it doesn’t jam — flatten boxes and take them to the Nectarine recycling bins.
  • If a chute backs up, leave nothing on the floor. Contact building management so it can be cleared.

Recycle on Nectarine Street

Place recyclables in the designated bins on Nectarine Street — not in the chute.

  • Cardboard
  • Glass
  • Plastics #1–5
  • Paper
  • Metal, including empty aerosol cans
  • Empty cartons (milk, juice, soup, wine)

Not recyclable here

  • Broken glass
  • Plastic bags
  • Dirty food containers or pizza boxes
  • Shredded paper

Bulk items

Mattresses, furniture, construction debris, and paint do not go in the chute or the hall.

Batteries — lithium-ion batteries (e-bikes, scooters, phones, tools) can start fires when crushed. Never put them in the chute or the recycling bins. Take them to a city sanitation convenience center (battery bin; bring proof you live in Philadelphia) or a household hazardous waste event.

  • Contact building management about dumpster access for large items that have been broken down into smaller pieces.
  • For large items that cannot be broken down, contact a junk removal service.
  • Flattened cardboard still goes to the Nectarine recycling bins.
  • If you are moving out, schedule the freight elevator — don’t stage a household in the corridor. See Moving.