Bipartisan recycling bill becomes law in Kentucky with no dissention

Frankfort, KY— Governor Ernie Fletcher’s legislation to promote and facilitate recycling by local governments has become law.

The Governor signed Senate Bill 50 in March, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly without a dissenting vote.

SB 50, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Dan Kelly, would create grants for recycling and for collection of household hazardous waste. The money would come from a portion of the funding currently directed at cleaning up illegal dumps under the Kentucky Pride program.

“Now that we have reduced illegal dumps in Kentucky, it is important to also provide communities a responsible way to dispose of hazardous household waste and recyclable materials instead of putting them in landfills or illegal dumps,” Senator Dan Kelly said. “Recycling helps local governments – and taxpayers – save money.”

The dump cleanup program was established under House Bill 174 of the 2002 General Assembly. It has been funded with proceeds of a $25 million bond issue and a fee of $1.75 per ton of waste disposed of at Kentucky landfills. Under SB 50, counties that have been successful in cleaning up illegal dumps would be eligible to use funding for recycling and collection of household hazardous waste.

Recycling also helps turn trash into cash. EPPC’s Division of Waste Management estimates that 566,000 tons of materials with recycle value are disposed of in Kentucky in a year. The cost of disposal, coupled with the materials’ lost sales value, totals about $53 million a year.