Governor Walker Can't Ignore the Voices of Protests Against His Recycling Proposal

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Governor backs down on recycling. Administration suggests merging garbage collection operations. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 4/16/2011)

Excerpt: Gov. Scott Walker is backing away from his proposal to eliminate mandatory recycling, and instead his administration is suggesting that some localities might want to merge their garbage collection to save money.

Walker and the Department of Natural Resources are looking for a compromise after criticism of his plans in the 2011-'13 budget to end the mandate that communities run recycling programs. The budget also ended the subsidy program that went with it.

Key Republican lawmakers have said Walker went too far, and late last week, the DNR and a group of solid waste and recycling organizations traded proposals on how to manage and fund recycling in future years.

The organizations want to keep the program and funding at its current level and not see state recycling money used for other purposes.