The County Commissioners Association of PA and the Professional Recyclers of PA wrote a joint letter to the Senate and House urging members to oppose taking $10 million out of the Recycling Fund used to support local recycling programs and redirecting the money to pay the day-to-day operating expenses of the Department of Environmental Protection.
The text of the letter follows--
Re: 2019 Recycling Fund Raid
We are writing in response to Governor Wolf’s 2019-20 budget which proposes to redirect $10 million from the Recycling Fund to “augment operations in the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.”
There is no indication that those operations will relate to recycling or even waste management in general.
Members of the organizations signing below believe the transfer of funds will have a noticeable impact on recycling programs and services in our neighborhoods.
The Recycling Fund is not the only fund proposed to be raided. The Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Source Abatement Fund, Transfer to Conservation District Fund, and funding for several commissions will be appropriated from the Environmental Stewardship Fund in the amount of $8 million.
Another $57 million from the Environmental Stewardship Fund and $10 million from the Recycling Fund is proposed to be utilized to augment department operations.
One primary concern is the long-term impact this diversion from the Recycling Fund will have on the recycling grants.
While specific changes in the grant programs have not been published, a loss of $10 million will negatively impact local recycling programs and services.
Grants to counties and municipalities authorized under Act 101 and disbursed from the Recycling Fund are used to maintain the recycling infrastructure we have in place today.
Today, more than 11.6 million residents, at least 94 percent of the state's population, have access to recycling. About 79 percent have convenient access to recycling through about 1,050 curb-side pickup programs.
Since Pennsylvania is largely rural, 870 drop-off programs extend recycling to the greatest number of communities.
The following examples offer a just a miniscule glimpse into Pennsylvania’s robust recycling marketplace.
Taking funds away from recycling is particularly troubling given the current challenges facing local recycling programs.
China’s National Sword policy has essentially eliminated it as a market for recyclable materials. The policy has substantially increased the cost to process and market recyclables.
Grant funds are a key component supporting municipal recycling programs, off-setting some of the impact of increased costs.
Of equal and perhaps greater importance, grant funds provide resources to help educate consumers, a critical factor as we work to improve the quality of materials collected and processed.
Disposing of electronic waste is an ongoing problem. In some parts of the state, residents travel hours to find an e-waste recycling facility, only to find they need to pay $.60 a pound to leave their old television.
Legislation aimed at addressing the issue has stalled because manufacturers don't want to absorb what they see as additional costs.
This leads to people simply dumping old TVs, monitors and the like along the roadside, in fields, parks and waterways.
County and municipal operations are left to absorb the cost of cleanup and disposal.
The expense for curbside recycling collection equipment is reimbursed (90 percent) to counties and municipalities from the Recycling Fund. Consumers are used to collecting recyclable material at their residence and workplace.
Recycling trucks (@ $250,000 per truck) conveniently pick up material for transport to a processing facility.
If counties and municipalities cannot collect recyclable goods, consumers will simply put them in their trash, which will then be transported to the landfill.
In 2015, Pennsylvania recycled over 7.78 million tons of resources.
Recycling facilities need processing equipment for handling of material. Recycling balers compact recyclables like aluminum, cardboard, paper, and plastic into blocks which can easily be stacked and transported.
A baler generally costs in the range of $400,000. Without a baler, recycling material cannot be efficiently moved to market.
Compost facilities process tree limbs, brush, and plant cuttings, and turn these scraps into a beneficial soil nutrient and mulch, effectively diverting material from landfill disposal. A tub grinder is essential to the process and costs about $500,000.
No tub grinder means tons of compostable and reusable waste will enter landfills.
Professional staff who keep all the moving parts working in harmony are a critical component of the complex recycling picture. 50 percent of a county recycling coordinator’s salary is reimbursable from a grant under the Recycling Fund.
Expenses add up quickly. Which county or municipality will be chosen to not receive the support necessary to maintain recycling operations?
Pulling on what seem to be inconsequential threads of the recycling tapestry will result in the disintegration of decades of development.
Whittling away at the resources needed to sustain recycling in the Commonwealth will negatively impact the recycling marketplace, the environment, and the resources of local governments.
We oppose the transfer of dedicated recycling funds and urge the Pennsylvania legislature to reassess revenue sources for the state budget.
Yours in environmental stewardship,
Jennifer Summers
Executive Director
Lisa Schaeffer
Director of Government Relations
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