Volume 13, Issue 1  •  Winter 2005

REGIONAL NEWS

Howard County l Montgomery County l Queen Anne's County

NEWS FROM HOWARD COUNTY

Howard County's Business Recycling Program

Beginning in the summer of 2003, the Howard County Recycling Division began providing pilot recycling collection service to small and medium-sized businesses in the County.  The program was started after service was requested by the numerous small businesses that contacted the County seeking options for recycling.  These businesses did not have viable recycling alternatives because recycling collection services were either not offered by their waste collection provider or the service was cost prohibitive.  Initially, 10 businesses were added to the County’s existing apartment/condominium/ county building office toter collection route with once-a-week recyclables collection. These initial companies had previously contacted the County seeking service.  

Businesses in the program range from a print shop with 4 employees in Ellicott City to a manufacturing operation in Columbia with 300 employees. These businesses are offered mixed paper and/or commingled container (glass, plastic, aluminum and steel) recycling collection.  The County provides toters, either 40 or 90 gallon, according to the volume that the business generates and any office space constraints.  Toters are easily added or removed if initial volume estimates are too low or too high. The businesses’ primary obligation is to fill the containers with the appropriate materials and then place them outside for pickup by a County contractor. Most of the toters are kept inside the businesses during the week and are only rolled outside on the night before or the day of collection.

An audit of the program’s 13 enrolled businesses was completed in June 2004.  Using actual weight (not volume) measurements it was found that approximately 1744 pounds of recycled material was being collected each week, which equates to 45 tons per year.  The per business average was 135 pounds/week. The commodity breakdown was 1009 pounds of paper and 735 pounds of commingle items per week.

Since June the program has added 11 additional businesses with the goal of having 100 businesses in the program before the end of the fiscal year in July 2005. The County is now actively recruiting new businesses in Ellicott City, Columbia, Jessup, and Elkridge.

NEWS FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Montgomery County Recycling Center Wins SWANA's 2004 Gold Excellence Award for Recycling

The 2004 SWANA Excellence Awards were presented to honorees at Wastecon 2004 in Phoenix, Arizona, September 21-32.  Montgomery County won the Gold Excellence Award for its recycling center, which in fiscal year 2003, saw more than 90 tons of commingled material delivered and processed, 250 tons of mixed paper delivered, and more than 100 trucks either bringing or picking up recyclable material. 

Applications for SWANA’s 2005 Excellence Awards are now available.  Visit www.swana.org to download a copy or call 1-800-GO-SWANA. 

NEWS FROM QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY

Queen Anne's County is the First in Maryland to Convert Vehicles to Soy Biodiesel Fuel

Queen Anne’s County will use a new $100,000 grant to help convert the County fleet of vehicles and school buses from petroleum diesel to soy-based biodiesel.  Switching to soy biodiesel has many benefits, including a reduction in harmful emissions, reduced petroleum consumption, less reliance on