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Ample Reasons for Restructuring Putnam County's Recycling Program
To the Editor:
I received an email today about the plans to stop funding the current recycling program in Putnam County. It said that our current County Legislator, Vincent Tamagna, was planning to eliminate all recycling programs run by the county. It didn't make sense to me because Mr. Tamagna has been a leader on environmental issues, so I called him to ask if this was true.
He said that the current program is not working in the best interests of the community. Instead, he is proposing a way for recycling efforts to be handled locally. The new recycling plan will move the authority to the towns and villages by giving local block grants. Under his proposal, the costs of recycling will be reduced from $300,000 to $75,000- a savings of $225,000!
I also earned some important facts: 1. The current executive director, Gordon Maxwell, has not filed the required reports to the DEC since 1997. 2. There is a fine of $500 for each missed report. 3. The current program represents 2% of the county's budget.
There seems to be ample reason for restructuring the Putnam County recycling program. If it's handled locally, I will be able to recycle on this side of the county, and it will save me a 30-minute drive to Carmel. Right now the county is facing a 40% tax increase, there are bound to be some adjustments in the way services are currently handled. I'm in favor of having recycling managed locally.
Lisa Sabin Cold Spring
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