South Philadelphia and the Navy Yard: totes in and out
South Philadelphia is the Navy Yard, the Bellwether District going up on the old refinery ground and the port terminals along the Delaware. Its empties are many and varied, and its needs are a few.
01What sits here
The Navy Yard is a 1,200-acre campus with more than 150 companies and about 16,000 full-time employees, roughly 8 million square feet occupied or in development. Hilco Redevelopment Partners bought the 1,300-acre former refinery site in South and Southwest Philadelphia in 2020 and began building the Bellwether District, about 14 million square feet of logistics, manufacturing and R&D space, in 2023. Shipbuilding, life sciences and port work share the district.
| ZIP codes | Industries here | Agency to ask about empties |
|---|---|---|
| 19112, 19145, 19148, 19153 | life sciences, logistics, port terminals, shipbuilding | Pennsylvania DEP |
02Who has empties, who needs totes
Lab and manufacturing tenants put out clean empties with records, and logistics tenants put out transport and packaging totes. Construction on the former refinery site is a different case: it may uncover or move old containers, which are not the desk’s to take. A tote that comes out of a new tenant’s fit-out is an ordinary ticket. A container found on the old refinery ground is a matter for the site owner and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
03Roads, rules and the move
I-95 and I-76 run beside the district, with the Girard Point Bridge carrying I-95 across the Schuylkill and the Walt Whitman Bridge reaching Gloucester County from the district’s eastern edge. The state agency for empty containers is Pennsylvania DEP. Buyers are close: Camden County across the river, and growers further out.
04Next door
| Place | ZIP codes | Industries |
|---|---|---|
| Port Richmond and the Tioga waterfront | 19134, 19125, 19137 | marine terminals, forest products, steel, warehousing, food processing |
| Camden | 08102, 08103, 08104, 08105 | food manufacturing, port terminals, scrap and recycling |
05On the ground
South Philadelphia’s Navy Yard has its own gate procedures and a visitor process, and the sites on the old refinery ground are under construction, with changing entrances. A seller should name the building and the contractor on site. A buyer in the city should expect the haul to come up Broad Street or along I-95.
06Weather, season and timing
The Navy Yard and the former refinery ground sit at the end of Broad Street, and in sports weeks the stadium crowds slow every approach. Sellers should avoid game days and the hour before them. A driver may need a visitor pass at the gate, so send the contact’s name ahead.
07A ticket from here
- Put one of the ZIP codes from the first table on the ticket.
- Tenants: say the building or the park and the last contents.
?Questions on this page
Who handles old containers on the refinery site?
The site owner and Pennsylvania DEP. The desk takes empties, never waste.
Sources
Last reviewed 2026-11-11. Rules change; read the current text before you act on it.