Madison…Yesterday I sent the following letter to the Speaker of the Assembly Jeff Fitzgerald and the Chairman of the Joint Finance Committee Robin Vos.  In it I laid out the reasons for keeping the municipal recycling mandate and funding.

Dear Speaker Fitzgerald and Chairman Vos, 

On March 1, 2011 Governor Walker introduced his 2011-13 Wisconsin State Budget setting the priorities and direction for the state.  Among the changes Gov. Walker proposes is the elimination of funding for recycling programs and the mandate that local governments continue to provide this service.  I believe this change would destroy a well functioning program that has been in place for the last 20 years and force recycling in Wisconsin into an uncertain future. 

Each Wisconsin resident generates an average of 1,980 pounds of waste each year; 34 percent of that total is being recycled.  By recycling, we keep almost 2 million tons of material out of Wisconsin landfills. Wisconsin has some of the most beautiful and abundant natural resources in the country which we should seek to preserve.  Removing the recycling mandate would further amplify pressures already existent on our manufacturing sector to increase usage of virgin materials.

Wisconsin’s recycling programs generate real economic development by extending the life of our landfills and providing hundreds of community-based jobs which may otherwise be non-existent.  Investment in local recycling collection and processing, as well as strong government policies, spur significant private sector investment in recycling manufacturing.  For every job collecting recyclables, there are 26 jobs in processing the materials and manufacturing them into new products.  This is real economic development that Wisconsin can live with.

In closing, I believe recycling has a place in Wisconsin’s future as it has been a valued part of our past for the last 20 years.  Talking with my neighbors and constituents I believe this is a program we cannot live without.  For the future of this state, I ask that the legislature remove elimination of the recycling mandate from the 2011-13 Wisconsin State Budget.

Sincerely, 

Keith Ripp

Wisconsin State Representative

47^th Assembly District

As in the past I would continue to encourage you to contact my office with ideas for this next legislative session and on individual pieces of legislation.  Now more than ever your ideas and opinions need to be heard, so we can begin to get Wisconsin back to work.  As before I will continue to work across the aisle to find common ground and move legislation forward.  Please do not hesitate to contact my office at (608) 266-3404, or Rep.Ripp@legis.wisconsin.gov. 

Please share this update with your friends and neighbors within the 47th Assembly District and if there is anybody you know who would like to be included please respond to this email with their email address. 

I want to remind everyone that my door is always open and you can always visit me at my Madison office in the Capitol (223 North).   Please do not hesitate to contact me with any issues you maybe facing.  You can call my office at 608-266-3404 or email me at Rep.Ripp@legis.wisconsin.gov.  I look forward to hearing from you.