Dive Brief:
- Wisconsin could decrease state funding for municipal recycling programs if a proposal is approved.
- Governor Scott Walker is in the process of trying to reduce grants for recycling by $4 million, from $19 million to $15 million.
- Current Wisconsin law requires all municipalities to meet established recycling requirements, but helps reduce the financial burden via grants.
Dive Insight:
Alex Beyer, the Solid Waste Administrator in Portage County, WI said that although he is not certain how the board is going to handle any cuts that come down the pipeline, no changes are expected as a recycling center or the city’s Solid Waste Department. "The recycling center typically always has not been a money maker," Beyer said. "We’ve had to basically take the profits that we generate from the garbage side of things to offset the costs of the recycling program."
This is a common issue at recycling facilities around the country. In Indiana, recycling centers have been consistently losing money for years. Some counties in the state can’t afford to keep the sites open and maintain their budgets. Centers are staying open as long as they can, but many are shuttering as a result of the current market conditions that continue to deteriorate.