Recycling will be trashed because of deep cuts in garbage reuse programs by Massachusetts’s acting Gov. Jane Swift, officials said yesterday.
Gov. Swift's line-item vetoes lopped off almost 44 percent off the $15.8 million the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) had planned to spend on recycling and solid-waste reduction efforts.
``It definitely has a constricting effect on improving recycling,'' said Claire Sullivan, executive director of the 15-town South Shore Recycling Cooperative, of their surprise $6.9 million cut. ``We need more, not less.''
Funding for the DEP and EOEA programs comes from the Clean Environment Fund, an account where unclaimed bottle deposits accumulate.
The governor's veto cut $3.9 million from EOEA's 10-year-old program to provide technical assistance and financial incentives to municipalities to encourage recycling. The program received $8.8 million last year.
Last year, DEP received $7 million to implement a new Solid Waste Master Plan. The veto cut the amount to $3 million.
``It was not a commentary on these projects,'' said James Borghesani, a spokesman for Gov. Swift. ``She cut things literally across the board. It's unfortunate, but that's our fiscal situation.''
Advocates said the budget cuts could hinder recycling efforts. The state recycled 38 percent of its garbage in 2000, up from just 10 percent in 1990.
``It really comes down to individuals separating their trash,'' said Greg Cooper, director of DEP consumer programs. ``If they don't know how the program functions or have a convenient way to separate trash there's a likelihood they wouldn't put the effort out.''
Shawn Worster, executive director of the 23-town Northeast Solid Waste Committee, said the cuts will probably ``take the wind out of our sails.''
``I'm concerned (towns) could shut down their programs,'' said Worster. ``. . . Given the other fiscal pressures being imposed on municipalities, I think there's going to be very significant impact.''