PA Environment Digest

Share this:

PA Resources Council Urges Senate, House, Gov. Wolf To Keep The $22.6 Billion PA Recycling Marketplace Thriving

The Pennsylvania Resources Council Monday sent a letter to all members of the Senate and House and to Gov. Tom Wolf urging them to take action to keep Pennsylvania’s $22.6 billion marketplace thriving as they compete work of the state’s budget.

The text of the letter follows--

In the final days of your deliberations on a state budget, the Pennsylvania Resources Council urges you to take two actions that will insure the $22.6 billion Pennsylvania Recycling Marketplace that employs over 66,000 people continues to thrive.

First, avoid actions that will use monies in the Recycling Fund to balance the state budget. While use of these dollars to fill a short-term revenue gap is tempting, the fact is the balance in the Fund is already allocated to pay for grants already approved.

Taking these monies would mean communities would be unable to get reimbursement for costs they have already incurred to implement local recycling collection programs.

Second, reauthorize the $2 per ton Recycling Fee used to pay a portion of the local costs for recycling collection and other waste reduction programs that insure there are safe places for our citizens to dispose of unwanted household hazardous wastes.

The Senate has already passed legislation extending the fee with broad support from local governments, the waste industry and nonprofit groups like ours. We encourage the House to do the same and return stability to Pennsylvania’s recycling program.

As an example of the kinds of programs funded, household hazardous waste collection events by PRC, our many partners and private industry have removed toxic waste and other hazardous materials from more than 43,000 households in Western Pennsylvania-- a total of over 4 million pounds-- and recovered nearly 2 tons of liquid mercury.

Consider the consequences if these chemicals were flushed down toilets or dumped into rivers and streams.

In 2014 alone, 17.4 million tons of what would otherwise be waste was recycled in Pennsylvania. The foundation of that recycling effort was local recycling collection programs paid for in part with monies from the Recycling Fund and the $2 ton Recycling Fee.

The environment is literally the bedrock upon which all else stands-- our economy and our leisure time.

Continued investments in Pennsylvania’s Recycling Marketplace will not only assure a stable future for this $22.6 billion industry and the more than 66,000 workers employed in recycling, but a cleaner, safer environment. (Industry statistics obtained from: The Economic Contributions of Recycling to the Pennsylvania Economy, PA Recycling Markets Center, dated June 2017).

We encourage you to think of our economy and our environment as you make your decisions.

I would also like to invite you to be part of one of our five remaining household hazardous waste, hard-to-recycle or drug take back events in Western Pennsylvania this year to see how we work with communities, local partners and private companies to provide these services.

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our recommendations and Pennsylvania’s recycling Marketplace.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert Jondreau

Executive Director

Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc.

Click Here for a copy of the letter.

The Pennsylvania Resources Council was one of the primary driving forces behind the adoption of the state’s comprehensive recycling law in 1988.

For more information on recycling in the state, visit DEP’s Recycling in Pennsylvania webpage.

NewsClips:

What’s In The West Side Landfill?

On & On History Recycled Store In Wilkes-Barre

Litter Prevention Program Cuts Butts At Ohiopyle, Raccoon Creek Parks