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Maryland diverted nearly 43 percent of the waste we generated from landfills and incinerators last year, meeting the requirements of the state Recycling Act – and, for the fifth straight year, exceeding Maryland’s voluntary recycling and waste diversion goal. Maryland recycled 39.4 percent of its waste and earned a 3.5 percent credit for reducing the amount of waste generated, for a total of 42.9 percent. Consumption is down, due to the economy, and so was the rate of waste generation.
The Maryland Recycling Act, dating back to 1988, requires counties with populations over 150,000 people to reduce, by recycling, 20 percent of the solid waste they dispose of. Counties with populations less than 150,000 are required to reduce by 15 percent the amount of solid waste they dispose of. In 2000, the General Assembly set a 40 percent voluntary statewide waste diversion goal, comprised of a 35 percent recycling rate and a 5 percent source reduction credit.
Recycling and waste diversion are more important now then ever. In 2007, in response to the mounting evidence of the adverse environmental and economic effects of climate change, Governor Martin O’Malley established the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. The Commission developed a plan for Maryland setting forth a road map to reduce our emissions and adapt to climate change. In 2009, Maryland set a state requirement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2025.
Consider the following greenhouse gas and energy scenarios over the life-cycle of common recyclable materials when comparing recycling or combustion with landfilling.
Greenhouse Gas
|
Material
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MTCO2E * – Landfilled
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MTCO2E * – Source Reduced
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MTCO2E * – Recycled
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MTCO2E * – Combusted
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Aluminum Cans
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0 **
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-8.31 **
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-13.67 **
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0.02 **
|
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PET Plastic Bottles
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0 **
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-2.16 **
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-1.59 **
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1.10 **
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Newspaper
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0 **
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-4.02 **
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-1.93 **
|
0.18 **
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Glass
|
0 **
|
-0.57 **
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-0.32 **
|
0.01 **
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* MTCO2E = Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. It is a measure of carbon dioxide emissions and is equal to a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kg (2,205 lbs.).
** Values vs. the landfilling of the material. Assigns MTCO2E – Landfilled a value of 0. A negative number indicates an emission reduction, while a positive number indicates an emission increase compared to the landfilling of a material.
Energy
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Material
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BTU ^ (million) – Landfilled
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BTU ^ (million) – Source Reduced
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BTU ^ (million) –Recycled
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BTU ^ (million) – Combusted
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Aluminum Cans
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0 **
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-126.75 **
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-206.95 **
|
0.12 **
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PET Plastic Bottles
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0 **
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-71.28 **
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-53.36 **
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-10.57 **
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Newspaper
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0 **
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-36.87 **
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-16.91 **
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-8.59 **
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Glass
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0 **
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-7.46 **
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-2.66 **
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0.02 **
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^ BTU = 1 BTU is a unit of power that is equal to the amount of energy needed to heat 1 pound of water 1° F. It is also used to describe the heat value (energy content) of fuels.
** Values vs. the landfilling of the material. Assigns BTU (million) – Landfilled a value of 0. A negative number indicates a reduction in energy consumption, while a positive number indicates an increase in energy consumption compared to the landfilling of a material.
In all cases, where recycling or source reduction is used instead of traditional disposal, there were savings in the greenhouse gases emitted or energy used. Only when combusting a material instead of landfilling it were there increases in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted or energy used.
In 2009, the State recycled 2,568,315 tons of waste and reduced the amount of waste generated by more than 233,000 tons. The greenhouse gas savings is the equivalent of removing 1.1 million passenger cars from the roadway each year, conserving nearly 683 million gallons of gasoline, conserving 2.5 billion cylinders of propane used for home barbeques, or conserving more than 31,000 railway cars of coal. The BTU savings is the equivalent of the annual energy consumption of almost 400,000 households or the amount of energy contained in nearly 7.4 million barrels of oil or 344 million gallons of gasoline.
Counties across Maryland not only collect such “core” recyclables as mixed paper, glass containers, metal containers, plastic containers, white goods, and yard trimmings for recycling; they also collect electronics, mercury, scrap tires, motor oil, and antifreeze. Other efforts focus on the recycling and proper disposal of construction and demolition materials and household hazardous wastes from the solid waste stream.
Details regarding Maryland’s waste diversion activities are available on the Maryland Department of the Environment’s waste diversion web page.
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