Georgia County Addresses Recycling Funding Shortfall

Georgia’s Athens-Clarke County faces a major funding shortfall for its landfill enterprise fund, which is at risk of running out of money in 2022. According to an Athens Banner-Herald report, waste and recycling operations cost the county roughly $1.2 million last year, while the county generated only $211,070 in revenues.

Money in the landfill enterprise fund comes mostly from tipping fees at the landfill. Last year, recycling revenues were mainly from two sources—a “waste minimization” fee charged to businesses and residences and revenues from the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials, the report notes.

According to the report, the county has several options to cover the costs of recycling, including charging a franchise fee to hauling companies tied to the volume of material they bring and to cover some operations through the government’s general fund.

Athens Banner-Herald has more information:

Athens-Clarke County’s recycling and waste reduction operations cost about $1.2 million to run last year, but yielded just $211,070 in revenues.

At that rate, Athens-Clarke County’s landfill enterprise funds will be out of money in 2022, Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Director Suki Janssen recently told county commissioners.

Athens-Clarke’s solid waste department runs as two enterprise funds, Janssen explained to commissioners. When a government operation is run as an enterprise fund, revenues ideally cover operating expenses.

Read the full article here.