A report by MDE shows that Montgomery has the highest recycling rate statewide, followed by Cecil and Mid-Shore.
According to statistics released by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Montgomery County’s recycling rate of 58.94 percent of solid waste created tops all other counties in Maryland. The report focused on 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Cecil County was second to Montgomery County with a recycling rate of 58.69 percent, and Mid-Shore Counties—which include Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot—came in third with a rate of 49.37 percent.
According to the press release:
“I am proud of what Montgomery County has achieved by recycling, reducing and preventing waste,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The goal of the County’s Climate Action Plan is reducing communitywide greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over the next five years and 100 percent by 2035. All of us—residents, businesses and our County government—are working together toward achieving zero waste over the next 13 years. Fighting climate change takes a village and this news is a testament that we are moving in the right direction.”
“I am so proud of Montgomery County residents and businesses for attaining the highest recycling rate in the State of Maryland,” said County DEP Acting Director and Climate Change Officer Adriana Hochberg. “When we all pitch in and do our part in consuming less and recycling and composting more, it adds up to big results for our environment and for our collective well-being.”
Waste diversion encompasses recycling and reducing trash. It also includes credits for programs that encourage residents and businesses to prevent waste, such as Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) backyard food scraps composting project and the commercial food scraps recycling partnership program.