Recycling in Maryland is a joint effort between state and local governments. The Maryland Department of the Environment enforces recycling policies, tracks statewide recycling and waste diversion data, and regulates solid waste and recycling facilities to ensure environmental compliance.
While we provide oversight, each county and city manages its own recycling program—so what you can recycle often depends on where you live.
As of the most recent report, Maryland achieved a 40% waste diversion rate, which includes both recycling and source reduction (like using less packaging or reusing materials).
Recycling isn’t always as simple as “blue bin = good.” Recycle right! Here’s how it really works:
- Collection – Your curbside bin or local drop-off site gathers materials.
- Sorting – Recyclables are separated by type at facilities known as Material Recovery Facility (or MRF, sounds like ‘murf’), where they are bundled into bales for sale.
- Processing – Once baled materials are sold, they are then cleaned and broken down.
- Remanufacturing – Those raw materials are turned into new products.
Beyond the Curb: What Really Happens to Your Recycling
When you roll your bin to the curb or drop off your bottles and boxes at a recycling center, you probably feel like you’re doing your part—and you are. But have you ever wondered what actually happens to the metal, plastic and paper products after the truck pulls away?
The journey your recyclables take is longer and more interesting than most people realize. From cleaning and sorting to melting and remaking, the recycling process helps reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and support jobs. Let’s take a closer look at where your glass, metal, paper, and plastics go after collection—and how you can make sure they actually get recycled.
Glass: A Clear Path to New Bottles
Glass recycling is pretty straightforward, especially when it comes to bottles and jars. Once your glass is picked up, it’s taken to a facility where it’s sorted by color, cleaned, and crushed into something called "cullet." That cullet is then sent to a manufacturer, melted at extremely high temperatures—up to 2,700°F—and mixed with new materials to form fresh bottles and jars.
Glass from windows, mirrors, or ceramics doesn’t follow this same process, so it’s usually important to keep those out of your recycling bin.
Quick Tip: Stick to whole food and beverage containers only. Rinse them out, and skip the lids unless your local recycling program says otherwise.
Metal: Recycling with Muscle
Metal cans—like the ones used for soup, soda, or pet food—are recycling champions. After pickup, the cans go to a processing facility where a giant magnet separates steel from aluminum. Both types of metal are crushed, bundled together, and sent to mills, where they’re melted down and turned into brand new products.
Recycling metal is a big win for the environment. Just one ton of recycled steel saves thousands of pounds of raw materials like iron ore and coal. And making aluminum from recycled material uses 95% less energy than starting from scratch.
Quick Tip: Rinse your cans and remove labels if possible. No need to crush them. Just make sure they’re empty, clean and dry.
Paper: A Second (and Third) Life
Paper is one of the most commonly recycled materials. Newspapers, office paper, cardboard boxes, and even old phone books can all be recycled—though not all paper is equal. Clean, white paper is more valuable because it’s easier to turn into new products.
Once collected, paper is sorted into types and mixed with water in giant machines to form a slurry, kind of like a big paper smoothie. That slurry can be spread out, dried, and rolled up into giant sheets to make new paper, or turned into cardboard, newsprint, or paperboard for cereal boxes.
Paper can’t be recycled forever—it breaks down each time it’s reused. Eventually, it’s turned into things like insulation or animal bedding, giving it a final, useful life.
Quick Tip: Keep paper clean and dry. Greasy pizza boxes, napkins, and tissues are sometimes accepted, but cleaner is better.
Plastics: Know Your Numbers
Plastic recycling is a bit more complicated because there are so many types. Each one behaves differently when it’s melted and reused, which is why those little numbers on the bottom of containers matter.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the most common types:
#1 (PET or PETE): Found in water and soda bottles. Easily recycled into clothing, carpets, and containers for cleaning products.
#2 (HDPE): Used in milk jugs, detergent bottles, and grocery bags. Can be recycled into playground equipment, pipes, and new containers.
#3–#7: These include things like PVC piping, yogurt cups, plastic cutlery, and Styrofoam. Some of them are recyclable in certain areas, but they’re generally harder to process and reuse.
Source: Unisort
Once plastic is sorted by type, it’s cleaned, ground into flakes or pellets, and sent to manufacturers who use it to make new products. But not all plastic ends up back on store shelves. Some types don’t have strong markets yet, which is why it’s so important to check with your local recycling program to find out what’s accepted. Black plastic food containers are often not recyclable because recycling equipment can’t detect the color—so it’s best to reuse them at home or throw them in the trash if your local program doesn’t accept them.
Quick Tip: Rinse plastic containers and keep the caps on! And remember—plastic bags don’t belong in curbside bins, but many grocery stores will take them back for recycling.
E-Cycling
Electronics recycling, or eCycling, keeps harmful materials like lead, mercury, and arsenic out of our environment. Recycling your old devices also saves landfill space, conserves natural resources, and helps reduce the growing amount of electronic waste generated each year. An estimated 20,000 tons of electronics are sent to landfills in Maryland each year. The state also has requirements for recycling facilities that accept electronics, retailers and manufacturers.
What You Can Do
The best way to support recycling is to stay informed and make small changes at home. Here are a few easy ways to help your recyclables go further:
Keep it clean and dry. Rinse containers to avoid contamination.
When in doubt, check it out. Not sure if something’s recyclable? Visit your county’s recycling website or give them a call.
Avoid wish-cycling. Tossing non-recyclables in the bin “just in case” does more harm than good.
Recycling is just one part of the materials management puzzle, but it’s a powerful one. When we all do our part—beyond the curb—we reduce pollution, conserve energy, and keep valuable materials in use instead of in the landfill.
Contact Us
Call us at 410-537-3314. We’re here to help you recycle smarter.
