Pennsylvania extends recycling, waste tire funding

More than 1,600 municipal recycling programs across Pennsylvania – and the approximately 80,000 jobs the industry supports – will benefit from another decade of guaranteed funding now that Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell has signed House Bill 961.

According to the Governor, continuing to support local recycling programs is important to Pennsylvania’s economy and environment.

Launched in 1988, Pennsylvania’s recycling program is funded by a tipping fee of $2 per ton on all waste managed at municipal waste landfills and resource recovery facilities in the state. The fees generate approximately $35 million each year to support municipal recycling programs.

In total, Pennsylvania recycles millions of tons of materials each year and reuse businesses annually generate more than $20 billion in sales, which saves communities money on disposal costs and provides an additional source of revenue.

Governor Rendell’s signature on the act ensures the tipping fee will continue to be collected through 2020 and also authorizes a $1.25 million transfer from the recycling fund to the Waste Tire Remediation Fund to complete high-priority tire pile cleanups, work that is important to protecting public health, he said.

Since 2003, the Governor noted, Pennsylvania has already removed nearly 12.5 million waste tires by cleaning up 111 piles. Nearly 4.8 million of these tires were removed at no cost to the state as a result of aggressive enforcement action by the Department of Environmental Protection.