On February 18, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic Butchko testified before the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee in support of SB 901 – Environment – Packaging Materials – Producer Responsibility Plans with amendments.
This bill creates a framework to establish more robust recycling infrastructure for packaging materials in Maryland.
Counties thank both the advocates and the sponsors for proposing a plan that both strengthens Maryland’s recycling and retains local autonomy. Counties do have some concerns with unintended consequences of the legislation as drafted, specifically a requirement to conduct and administratively burdensome and costly analysis by December 1st, 2025.
Counties would not be able to implement this detailed planning requirement both in the form as drafted and in the timeline prescribed. Some counties estimate that this type of an analysis would likely create an unfunded mandate of several hundred thousand to over a million dollars depending on the jurisdiction and the scope of their recycling infrastructure.
SB 901 was heard in the opposite chamber, the Environment and Transportation Committee, on March 27. As amended, MACo submitted written testimony in support of this bill.
More on MACo’s Advocacy:
