We the undersigned call on Live Nation Urban to commit to reusable cup programs at the Roots Picnic and other Philadelphia venues, ending the cycle of single-use plastic that harms our communities, our waterways, and our health.

Every year, Roots Picnic and Live Nation Urban events generate massive volumes of single-use plastic cups, food packaging, and trash. Where does it go? In Philadelphia, roughly 40% of our trash is shipped to Chester, PA, home to the largest trash incinerator in the country, and burned in a city where over 70% of residents are Black and nearly a third live in poverty. Environmental justice advocates say the city should not be sending its waste to be burned in Chester, a majority-Black city where the incinerator contributes to unhealthy air pollution. The Chester facility ranks among the worst polluters in the entire region for mercury, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and cadmium, pollutants linked to asthma, cancer, and developmental harm in children, with the facility releasing about 60 pounds of mercury into the region's air every year and nearly 2.5 million pounds of nitrogen oxides annually. Every disposable cup tossed at a festival adds to this burden, placed disproportionately on Black and brown communities who never agreed to carry it. WHYY, Energy Justice Network.

What doesn't get burned often ends up in our rivers. A statewide study found microplastics in 100% of 53 Pennsylvania waterways sampled, including the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers and creeks across the Philadelphia region. The Philadelphia Water Department removes 44 tons of trash from a 32-mile stretch of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers every year, and more than half of it is plastic. These rivers are not just scenery. They are drinking water sources, recreation spots, and habitats for the fish and wildlife our communities depend on. Inquirer, Schuylkill River Greenways.

There's also the question of what's in the cup itself. Many single-use plastic cups are made with chemicals known to leach into food and beverages, especially when filled with hot liquids or alcohol, or left in the sun for hours at an outdoor festival. Reusable, food-grade cups eliminate this exposure entirely while cutting waste at the source.

Philadelphia doesn't need another study. We need action now. The city is actively debating how to break free from incineration, City Council has introduced legislation to stop sending Philadelphia's trash to Chester, and a growing reuse economy is ready to support exactly this kind of transition.

This petition is brought to you by Philly Unwrapped, a coalition of 40+ Philadelphia organizations working to reduce single-use waste, and our Prevention First campaign to activate our community around reuse and circular economy solutions. Through our coalition's network, we already touch 250 events across the city each year. We are working to build a community-run ware wash hub that will create green jobs and provide training and employment for youth in circular economy careers, infrastructure that can support venues like Roots Picnic and reduce reliance on disposable everything.

Live Nation Urban has the platform, the audience, and the resources to lead instead of lag, and a local infrastructure partner ready to help make it happen.

We ask Live Nation Urban to:

Implement a reusable cup program at Roots Picnic and other Live Nation Urban events in Philadelphia, with clearly marked return stations throughout the venue.

Partner with Philly Unwrapped and local reuse infrastructure providers, including ECHO's planned community warewash hub, so cups are cleaned and recirculated, not landfilled or incinerated.

Set a public timeline for phasing out single-use plastic cups across Philadelphia venues, with a pilot launching at the next Roots Picnic.

Report publicly on waste diversion outcomes after each event.

Support the development of local circular economy infrastructure and youth job training programs that can serve Philadelphia's events industry long-term.

Our communities are already bearing the cost of single-use culture, in our air, our water, and our health. The time to switch is now.

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