A recycling program being operated by the Potter County Solid Waste Authority is in jeopardy, the victim of market conditions and politics. Reduced prices being paid for most recyclables have plagued the program for more than two years and, now, a state subsidy is in jeopardy.
Act 101 of 1988 required counties to develop municipal waste management plans, and created the Recycling Fund, supported by a $2-per-ton fee on materials buried in landfills. Potter County Solid Waste Authority was recently notified that its 2010 allotment from that fund is approximately $59,200. The state legislature has not approved extension of the fee and these funds could vanish by year’s end. Gov. Ed Rendell has called on lawmakers to pass an extension.
“When someone throws a bottle, can or newspaper in the recycling bin, he’s not only helping to protect our environment and preserve precious resources, he’s supporting an important industry.” The governor said Pennsylvania’s recycling industry is directly responsible for more than 52,000 jobs. “Beyond that, recycled materials often provide the raw materials for other products,” Rendell added. “And, by using more recycled materials, we also avoid the need to extract additional raw materials from the earth.”
