NERC in the News
Budget Cuts Hit Vermont Recycling Support
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Resource Recycling; July 10, 2009
Reeling from the budgetary woes that most state governments are facing in today's economic climate, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) was cut by almost 10 percent, including the one full-time staffer dedicated to supporting recycling.
Vermont Governor Jim Douglas eliminated 58 positions within the agency, 30 of which were vacant, and 28 through layoffs. The cuts included fully one-third of the solid waste management staff and included the lead for supporting recycling in the Green Mountain State.
"It's certainly going to affect outreach for recycling," said George Desch, recently-appointed director of the waste management division of the ANR, in an interview with Resource Recycling. "We'll be tapping into regional resources like NERC [Northeast Recycling Council] … but it will be difficult for us to be working in an active mode."
One solid waste staffer called the cuts "a gut-a-thon," in a Burlington Free Press story.
Desch says that the agency will continue to support the state's environmental goals, noting that many of the objectives are mandated by law. "The priority for recycling hasn't changed," says Desch. "Just how it's going to be done."
