St. Mary's County now ranks 10th in state for recycling

Keeping trash from landfill now easier with single stream

Friday, Nov. 14, 2008

St. Mary's County's waste diversion rate was 51.75 percent, ranking 10th in the state. The actual recycling rate was 31.08 percent, versus 34.96 percent in Charles and 11.97 percent in Calvert. The total waste diversion rate takes into account such activities as converting yard waste into mulch and recycling antifreeze and motor oil.

Charles leads all of the state in the overall waste diversion rate at 79.51 percent because of a massive mulching operation there, said George Erichsen, director of the St. Mary's County Department of Public Works and Transportation.

In 2007, the county had just transitioned from a sorted recycling program into single stream. Allowing recyclable items to be mixed together makes it easier for people to participate. "We are climbing the chart and it's a volunteer program," Erichsen said. In 1992, St. Mary's County only recycled 6 percent of its waste. By 2006, the figure was up to 32 percent.

Maryland law requires counties of 150,000 people or less to recycle at least 15 percent of their waste. For bigger counties it's 20 percent. If a county doesn't comply, the state can hold up building permits, said Kim Lamphier, outreach coordinator for the Maryland Department of the Environment.

While some counties provide roadside recycling, recycling itself is not really mandated anywhere in Maryland. There are no fines for not recycling in any county. Montgomery County tags such items as yard waste that are left on the curb to notify residents the material can be recycled, Lamphier said.

St. Mary's County operates six trash convenience centers, from where trash is hauled off to King George County, Va. The recyclables are picked up here by Waste Management and taken to a sorting facility in Elkridge where 1,500 tons of material are sorted a day.

Of recycling, Richard Tarr, the county's solid waste manager, said last spring, "The citizens are making the choice to do it. They're the ones making it a success."

jbabcock@somdnews.com