Reply to What isn't MD more environmentally conscious?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm from the West Coast where there are tons of tax incentives and programs that make it cheaper and easier to be environment friendly. I could plug my car in at tons of places. There were bigger tax rebates on Solar and programs where your electricity bill would be zero. Rain barrels to collect water for outdoor irrigation were subsidized. Trash pick up was really expensive if you went over your one small can for trash, one large recycling and one large yard waste and compacting. This created a big community of people giving and taking things off free cycle, Nextdoor, Goodwill etc. Here you can dump anything for free.

I thought that MD was super progressive?[/quote]

Rain barrels are subsidized in our MD town.  We are legally required to recycle many items, and trash will not be collected if those items are found in the waste stream.  You seem unfamiliar with how much is recycled or diverted in Maryland...

From Maryland MDE: "Maryland's residents and businesses should be very proud of the fact that they had a 47.6% waste diversion rate in 2014. This consisted of a 43.5% MRA recycling rate and a 4.1% source reduction credit."

What is the Maryland Recycling Law?

In 1988, the Maryland Recycling Act (MRA) authorized MDE to reduce the disposal of solid waste in Maryland through management, education and regulation. The MRA requires that:

Each of Maryland’s jurisdictions develop and implement recycling programs. Jurisdictions with populations greater than 150,000 are required to recycle 35% of their waste and jurisdictions with populations less than 150,000 are required to recycle 20% of their waste. State agencies must implement a recycling plan with a 30% recycling rate mandate. (2012)
If a jurisdiction fails to meet the specified reductions, State and local authorities can prohibit the issuance of building permits for all new construction.
Each jurisdiction select materials to be recycled and the manner in which materials are to be separated and processed.
State agencies participate in recycling programs.
Newsprint and telephone directories distributed in the State have a recycled content, by weight, of 30% in 2001, increasing to 40% by 2005.
Additional legislation impacting recycling in Maryland includes:

Banning separately collected yard waste from disposal at solid waste acceptance facilities.
Requiring permits for private natural wood waste recycling facilities.
Counties to consider the feasibility of composting solid waste when developing solid waste management plans.
Including composting in the definition of recycling and be counting it when calculating the recycling goal.
The MD Department of Agriculture product standards for compost intended for commercial use (COMAR 15.18.04.06 et. seq.).
Mercuric oxide battery manufacturers be responsible for the collection, transportation, and recycling or disposal of these batteries sold or offered for promotional purposes in the State.
Establishing a program or system for the collection, recycling, or disposal of each cell, rechargeable battery or rechargeable product sold in the State.
Establishing a voluntary, Statewide waste diversion goal of 40% by the year 2005. The goal consists of a 35% MRA recycling rate plus up to 5% credit for source reduction activities.[/quote]

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