According to a city controller's report, recycling could save the city $17 million annually. It is now cheaper to recycle trash than to burn or bury it, says the city's own recycling office. Healthier, too, both environmentally and economically. A new commercial enterprise, RecycleBank, has run successful pilot programs in both Chestnut Hill and in West Oak Lane ["Waste Not, Want More," Feb. 16, 2006], that now boast 90 percent participation.

RecycleBank also lets participants profit from their recyclables. Each household receives up to $400 a year in coupons, redeemable from a slew of businesses, from Starbucks to Acme Markets to TLA Video.

New industry is also growing out of garbage. RecycleBank passes the trash for processing to Blue Mountain Recycling, yet another emerging commercial company.

A city controller's report that documents the benefits of recycling has been out for almost a year. But the city's Streets Department has tried to slap it back, saying that new trucks would cost $10.4 million. Recycling advocates dismiss this as bogus. And sources familiar with the Streets Department say the agency already has equipment that's not being used. The real issue, they say, is patronage and inefficiency.

Ironically, 20 years ago Philadelphia became the first major city to mandate recycling, making it a national leader. That law is now essentially ignored. Among cities with more than a million residents, Philly is nearly at the bottom of the barrel. Many major cities recycle 35 percent of their waste, and some more than half. The average municipality in the United States recycles almost a quarter. But Philadelphia manages to reclaim only about 6 percent.

Recycling means jobs in industries that can only grow. But to date, Council has refused to move forward. It's past time for action. And with a mayoral contest coming up, savvy candidates would be wise to jump on the recycling bandwagon, and soon.

Let me ask you something personal. What do you believe in?

Now I'm not talking about God or goblins, Big Buddha or Baby Jesus. I'm asking about your core values, your personal credo.

I recently asked myself about my beliefs—inspired in part by an ongoing NPR project called "This I Believe" (www.npr.org). It's a project modeled on a classic 1950s radio program, where people from all walks of life share their personal philosophies.

For instance, choreographer Martha Graham believed in practice, practice, practice. The ennobling power of reaching for perfection. Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who dealt daily with intrigue and backbiting, believes in trust. Others believe in the power of naming things, or even in the peaceable possibilities of down-and-dirty politics.

Me? I believe in something I learned from another public radio project, one of my own (schimmel.com, "Life on Delmarva"). I spent a year asking people to tell a story about something they're passionate about. Something that goes beyond their feelings for their families. Something that gives them a joy that they could publicly share.

I now believe that no matter what you love—be it cooking or cats or antique clocks—the passion you feel is something everyone can comprehend. You may in fact hate to cook, despise cats and be completely unmoved by antique clocks, but I found that anyone can empathize with the values underneath those passions. If you love something deeply enough, everyone gets why.

That's a pretty powerful statement. Because whether we're black or white, red or blue, it says that all of us hold values that resonate in every human heart. That's what I believe. What do you?