New Orleans officials are surrendering a $4 million federal grant to expand curbside recycling services to all households, saying they anticipate additional costs in connection with the program that the city simply cannot afford.
The program was initially seen as an effective way to address meager recycling rates in New Orleans, where only 2% of household waste is recycled — an extraordinarily low number. But the city’s budget crisis has made accepting the grant unwise, said City Council President JP Morrell.
Former employees in the city’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability who were working to set up the program before being laid off in January argue that relinquishing the money is a mistake, calling it a missed opportunity to finally make a dent in New Orleans’ recycling problem…