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Hilary Miller plays an important role in protecting the environment through recycling programs that reduce the amount of waste and toxins in our landfills.
As manager of MDE’s Waste Diversion and Utilization Program, Hilary tracks recycling programs that are operated by county and municipal governments across the State. She also has worked on programs that encourage “eCycling” of computers and other electronic products and the recycling of automobile switches that contain mercury.
Hilary says her love for the environment began at an early age. Her father was a game warden, and she grew up on a wildlife refuge on the Eastern Shore.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Animal and Food Science from the University of Maryland. She then worked at the Prince George’s County Health Department. In 1985, she moved to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, MDE’s predecessor. She has been with MDE since its formation in 1987.
During her earlier years with MDE, Hilary responded to hazardous waste spills across the state. She worked on cleanup efforts and documented the extent of the spills so that accurate penalties could be assigned to the companies at fault. She assisted in the cleanup and documentation of the 1993 Colonial Pipeline spill, in which a large quantity of the 400,000 gallons that were released entered the Potomac River.
Hilary was later responsible for coordinating waste management programs in Calvert, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties. She was promoted to Program Manager in 2004.
Hilary works on the Mercury Auto Switch Recovery Program that removes mercury switches from “end-of-life” vehicles. Auto salvage yards that volunteer to remove switches from automobiles receive a free mercury switch collection kit and a prepaid shipping box. Once full, the box is shipped at no charge to a designated mercury recycler for free processing of mercury switches.
She also worked to implement Maryland’s Statewide Electronics Recycling Program. The program reduces the amount of toxins such as lead, mercury, and arsenic entering the waste stream; save landfill space; conserve natural resources; and reduce the rate of electronic waste generated in Maryland each year.
Hilary works closely with the MDE Scrap Tire Program, which cleans up illegal stockpiles of tires that can no longer be used for their original purpose. In addition to cleanup efforts, this program also manages the collection, transportation, recycling, and processing of the nearly 5.5 million scrap tires generated in Maryland every year. Collected scrap tires are recycled and reused in various locations across the state, such as playgrounds, landfills, and equestrian arenas.
All solid waste management programs in Maryland, including recycling, are the responsibility of local governments. MDE collects information from the counties to determine compliance with all state regulations and offers technical support to the counties.
Hilary, who works on waste permitting and tracking, says she enjoys partnering with local governments to help protect the environment.
Maryland diverted nearly 43 percent of the waste we generated from landfills and incinerators in 2009, meeting the requirements of the state Recycling Act – and, for the fifth straight year, exceeding Maryland’s voluntary recycling and waste diversion goal.
Hilary lives in Columbia.
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