Maryland Recycling Network’s 31-Year Journey

Maryland Recycling Network (formerly the Maryland Recycling Coalition) has been around for over 30 years. Its executive director, Peter Houstle, tells stories of the organization, its people, and their work. Some key highlights are past legislative work and what’s in store for 2023 [Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and e-cycling, paint stewardship, and environmental justice are among focus areas]. And Houstle explains why MRN just celebrated its 30^th anniversary, this year, at age 31.

Waste360: Tell us about the year Maryland Recycling Network was founded and those first few years thereafter.

Houstle:  The Maryland Recycling Network (MRN) formed in 1991 as the Maryland Recyclers Coalition (MRC) to collaborate on recycling issues in Maryland. Members represent individuals and organizations from every facet of recycling, including county coordinators, agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, and recycling activists. MRC’s Convening Conference was held on May 29, 1991, at the Third Maryland Recycling Conference. Its mission: “to create a viable and sustainable recycling system in Maryland.”

MRC sought to become the voice of recycling in Maryland by educating local businesses, the public, and state legislators about the quality of recycled products and promote recycling as an economic opportunity.

The founding group, with Amy Burdick as its president, invited individuals from around the state representing all constituencies in the recycling community to form an interim board of directors and lay the groundwork for the organization.

Some key early activity:

1991/1992 – Provides testimony as MRC to Maryland Legislative for the first time.

1992/93 – Presents the first Maryland Recyclers Coalition Awards at the 1992 Maryland Annual Recycling Conference. The association then assumed full responsibility for the conference in 1993.

In the years that followed up to today, we built an online presence via Twitter and LinkedIn as well as a website offering a variety of industry news and resources; hosted the first joint annual conference with SWANA Mid-Atlantic Chapter; rechartered as Maryland Recycling Network; and finally last year celebrated 30 years in existence.

Waste360: What were a couple of your first projects?

Houstle: MRC’s main focus from its conception was the promotion of recycling, especially on the legislative front. One of the initial tasks for the newly formed Legislative & Policy Committee was to review the 1988 Maryland Recycling Act and develop recommendations for further regulations to enact it. The Committee would also focus on developing recommendations for other comprehensive recycling legislation for 1991 and 1992.

Waste360: What more can you say about your policy work?

Houstle: Over the last decade, MRN has become more involved in legislative issues.  The success of existing curbside and drop-off programs along with strides in food waste recovery were made possible by legislation that the MRN supported, including the revival of Maryland's recycling market development program and the organics recovery law.  The MRN is actively engaged in legislation involving labelling, updating the state's electronics EPR law, finally securing passage of a paint EPR law, and ensuring that a packaging EPR law will fit Maryland's unique county and local government recycling system.

Waste360: What was the state of recycling in Maryland when MRN came to be?

Houstle: Focus was mainly on recycling and recycled materials. At the time, newsprint and telephone directories represented almost a third of recycled materials.

Curbside recycling was limited, and existing programs were mostly curb-sort. Acceptable materials might be limited to newspaper, #1 and #2 plastic bottles, clear glass, and metal cans. 

Many jurisdictions still relied on extensive drop-off center networks. 

Organics programs were limited to yard waste drop-off sites, typically at a jurisdiction’s landfill. Many counties promoted "leave it on the lawn" when mowing, using mulching lawnmowers.  That significantly lowered the need to compost or dispose of grass.

Waste360: How does Maryland’s past landscape compare to what was happening elsewhere in the country?

Houstle: Maryland was a little further ahead of most parts of the U.S. Maryland is a small state with limited land suitable for landfills.  As a result, its communities were among the early adopters of recycling centers and curbside collection.

Recycling centers spread across the state in response to strong public desire.  In the larger, more urban areas, this led to a rapid expansion of curbside collection programs.  Curbside is widespread in urban and suburban Maryland and is commonly found in smaller towns.  Rural areas throughout the state have access to recycling centers. 

Three Maryland counties decided to build their own materials recovery facilities (MRF). Publicly-owned MRFs are unusual among American states.  

Recycling programs also have access to three privately owned and operated MRFs and to processing facilities in Delaware and Virginia. 

Waste360: How have you adapted to changing markets and streams?

Houstle: With the decline in printed paper and the rise in plastic packaging, Maryland recycling programs have learned to adjust to an evolving ton.  More emphasis is focused on organics, in particular food waste.  State legislation requires large generators to send their food waste to compost or anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities.  Two counties operate food composting facilities, with more on the way.  In addition, a new AD facility in Jessup, MD is poised to be an important end market for our food waste.

Waste360: What do you see as some of the most noteworthy changes over time?

Houstle: There is more focus on reduce/reuse. This is supported by the U.S. EPA’s National Recycling Strategy as well as grants for new programs available from the Infrastructure Bill.

The emergence of organics and food waste as the most prominent components in waste streams and the corresponding focus on those materials in recycling programs.

Less printed paper in the recycling stream due to the influence of digital media…Newspaper used to be the biggest chunk of a curbside recycling program.

Waste360: How did Dana Stein’s role as a Maryland delegate come into play with MRN’s work?

Houstle: Dana has been an environmental activist for some time. He started a local recycling group, GrassRoots Recycling, in 1992 and served as its president until 1998.

He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2006 and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee and Chair of the Environment Subcommittee where he has consistently worked with MRN to advance recycling legislation.

Delegate Stein was a friend and colleague of Charlie Reighart (who was the Recycling and Waste Prevention Manager from Baltimore County) from the time they worked together on community drop-off centers. Delegate Stein approached Charlie about market development legislation. Baltimore County and MRN provided technical assistance in preparing the legislation. 

Waste360: What are MRN’s legislative focuses for the 2023 session?

Houstle: For 2023, we’re focused on EPR for packaging and e-cycling, paint stewardship, environmental justice, mattress stewardship, post-consumer recycled content, and truth in labeling. We’re also working with Delegate Sara Love to explore options for a comprehensive needs assessment and update to the Maryland Recycling Act.

The EPR for packaging and e-cycling initiatives both attempt to place greater pressure on manufacturers to make reuse and recyclability key attributes of their products and their packaging. There are a number of legislators willing to advance these efforts; however these and similar bills often run into stiff headwinds from private sector companies (manufacturers and retailers). And EPR by its very nature tends to be complicated with lots of moving parts and, consequently, many opportunities for legitimate objection from all sides of the conversation. So, we may have some work ahead of us.

Waste360: What is your annual budget? Where does that money come from? And what have you done with it?

Houstle: Our budget is $50,000 to $60,000 and comes from dues, donations, registrations, sponsorships, and exhibits.

We have invested in:

Waste360: I understand MRN is celebrating its 30th birthday as it turns 31. Tell us the story behind celebrating “30” at “31.”

Houstle: The pandemic put a halt to most in-person events, so October 2021 was not an option. Plus, many government agencies have taken a while to recover from the disruption to hauling, staff shortages, and more.

Waste360: How did COVID impact recycling at its height?

Houstle: There was a definite uptick in the volume of trash, recycling, bulk, and yard waste as many households took advantage of the time home to do spring cleaning. There was also a marked increase in cardboard (especially online purchase packaging) and takeout containers, leading to high volumes of recycling and trash pickup. Landfills saw an increase in drop-offs due to increases in at-home projects.

MRN held virtual town halls where recyclers could talk about how their organizations were dealing with the disruption to services as well as staffing concerns and issues.

Waste360: What is unique to Maryland’s recycling landscape?

Houstle: Programs can vary from county to county. The larger, more densely populated and metropolitan counties (and City of Baltimore) have long had universal trash collection and curbside recycling collection. However, many of the more rural jurisdictions in western Maryland and along the Eastern Shore still rely on drop-off centers or subscription service.

The state’s geography and demography create unique challenges.  Maryland is a small state, three miles wide at one point and almost cut in half by the Chesapeake Bay. 

Even though the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland are rural, Maryland is America's fifth most densely populated state.  We also have the fourth highest percentage of people living in apartments. 

In addition, state law gives counties authority over solid waste and recycling but also allows the 153 municipalities to run their own programs as they see fit. 

Maryland presents unique challenges for recycling legislation!

This article has been edited for length.