Counties Push for More Tools to Boost Recycling

On February 8, 2023, Associate Policy Director Dominic Butchko submitted testimony to the House Economic Matters Committee in support of HB 0091 – Environment – Recycling – Hotels.

This bill delegates to counties the authority to require an owner, operator, or manager of a hotel to report their recycling activities, and authorizes local government enforcement units to conduct inspections of hotels to enforce the bill’s provisions. In effect, HB 0091 grants counties additional tools and flexibility to enforce their recycling requirements, and for this reason the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) urges the Economic Matters Committee to issue a favorable report.

From the MACo Testimony:

HB 91 would allow counties to count the recycled and reported material toward achieving their state-mandated recycling goals. Some counties struggle to reach their recycling goals, and the addition of hotel reporting would help them accurately account for hotel recycling. The bill would also allow county agencies to inspect hotels to ensure proper recycling and reporting.