The Pennsylvania General Assembly might reauthorize a bill that could impact the future of recycling in State College and across the commonwealth.

In 1988, Pennsylvania instituted a recycling fund that subsidizes recycling programs in municipalities statewide with grant money. The program will expire in 2004.

The fund levies $2 for every ton of municipal waste disposed of in the commonwealth and mandates recycling programs in communities with a population of more than 10,000.

Centre County has received about $13 million through the recycling fund, said Joanne Shafer, recycling coordinator for Centre County. Grants have been used to purchase recycling bins, build a leaf and grass composting site and operate the county's recycling facility, she said.

When the fund was established, the county recycled 0.8 percent of its waste, which increased to 57 percent in 1999.

House Bill 2190, which would reauthorize the Pennsylvania's Recycling Fund and Fee Bill, has been tabled in the State Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee since June, Shafer said. If the Senate does not pass the bill by the end of the current legislative term in December, it will die and need to be reintroduced at a later date.

"It's imperative that this be acted upon soon," Shafer said.

Most municipal trash contracts are for three years, and without prompt reauthorization, there is no funding security for 2005.

Shafer said she believes the holdup in the Senate is that the bill was amended to have no expiration date when it passed in the State House of Representatives.

State College Borough Council President Richard McCarl said Borough Council recently complied with a request from Centre County Solid Waste Authority (CCSWA) that it send a letter in support of the legislation to Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre.

The letter says it is unfair that the state mandates recycling for the borough but might not fund it.

While the borough receives a direct subsidy, Penn State benefits from the fund indirectly through the CCSWA, Shafer said.

CCSWA acts as an adviser to Penn State's waste management, said Al Matyasovsky, supervisor of Central Support Services at Penn State.

In addition to manpower and equipment, CCSWA supplies the university with education and outreach programs, he said.

"They have been an integral part of our waste management program," Matyasovsky said.

If the CCSWA wasn't subsidized by the fund, they would have to increase the cost of waste processing, Matyasovsky said. Currently, the waste processing fees are $56 per ton for solid waste, $10 per ton for bagged recyclables and $5 per ton for loose recyclables.

The university saves $150,000 annually by recycling 32 percent (3,164 tons) of its total waste (9,887 tons), Matyasovsky said.

He said he's not overly concerned about the legislation because he trusts that the legislature will act appropriately.

"Hopefully, they will realize this has been beneficial across the state," he said.

More information on current legislation involving the recycling fund can be found at www.proprecycles.org.