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IN A MOVE that critics say could set back recycling efforts for years, the Department of Sanitation has slashed funding to composting projects in all five boroughs.
The department last month announced $350,000 in midyear cuts to composting projects run by the city's four botanical gardens. The programs were initiated in July, 1993, to promote small-scale composting, grass mulching and other waste-reduction efforts in neighborhoods across the city.
Project managers say the cutbacks will force them to lay off staff, reduce outreach activities and eliminate school programs. Moreover, advocates say the cuts will cost the city more money in the long run.
"Garbage disposal costs the city $500 million a year and we're running out of room in the landfills. The solution is to produce less garbage," said Gray Russell, manager of the Bronx Green-Up Compost Project. "Our project teaches people that they're responsible for what they buy or throw away. We can teach people to make...