We're #1...Again!
Prince George's County Maryland sent this bulletin at 02/23/2016 03:35 PM ESTWe're #1...Again!
For immediate release:2/23/2016 12:00:00 AM
For more information, contact:
Lauren A. Kinard, Public Information Specialist, Department of the Environment, (301) 883-5957
Largo, MD – For
the second consecutive year, the Prince George’s County Department of the
Environment is pleased to announce the County’s continued leadership in the State
for waste diversion and recycling. Through innovative programs and outstanding
efforts by County residents and business, Prince George’s County remains #1 in keeping
waste out of the landfill (waste diversion) and ranks #2 in the State for
recycling.
Special thanks are given to the
residents of Prince George’s County for their ongoing support and dedication to
fundamental practices of reducing, reusing and recycling waste. Their adoption
of small behavior changes in the disposal of trash and debris, results in a
positive impact that not only affects this County, but creates a sustainable
ripple effect nationwide.
“Over the past five years, Prince
George’s has celebrated incredible progress in public safety, education and
health outcomes while achieving unprecedented economic development
growth. Yet, many are unaware of the environmental improvements we have
made that have transformed us from an average jurisdiction to a model in
environmental management and stewardship statewide and nationally,” said Prince
George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III. “I want to congratulate our
Department of Environment for their innovative leadership and thank all of the
residents and businesses of Prince George’s County for creating a cleaner,
greener, healthier and safer County for future Prince Georgians. To keep the
momentum going, I encourage everyone to ask a relative, neighbor or friend to
make a commitment to recycling. It will significantly reduce trash, which
is great for the environment.”
“As a County, we continue to make
impressive advancements towards reaching our goal of zero waste,” says
Department of the Environment Director Adam Ortiz. “The responsible act of recycling
is a win for the County and a great demonstration of our diligence to find
alternatives to throwing trash away and giving it a new life.”
The official data recently released
by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) note the County’s 2014
waste diversion remains strong at 64.03 percent, the highest in the State of
Maryland. The County’s recycling rate for 2014 is an impressive 59.03 percent, slightly
less than Washington County’s 2014 recycling rate of 60.59 percent.
MDE calculates the rate by adding
the disposed trash tonnage and the recycling tonnage to provide a total waste
number. The recycling tonnage is then divided by the total waste number
(tonnage) to obtain the recycling rate. Because of the efforts residents and
businesses have made in eliminating waste before it starts, the County received
the maximum Source Reduction Credit of 5 percent from MDE. Examples of source
reduction practices include leaving grass trimmings on your lawn to add
nutrients back into the soil, using reusable shopping bags and water bottles
and selecting products that contain the least amount of packaging.
“This accomplishment is a major
success for the County. We’re working hard get these rates higher by
establishing recycling programs in every County business and multi-family
property,” said DoE's Recycling Section Manager Marilyn Rybak. “Setting up a
program is easy and the County’s Recycling Division is here to assist
commercial, industrial, institutional and residential communities implement
successful recycling and waste diversion programs, which may help save money on
their disposal fees.”
Recycling initiatives helping the
County reduce its carbon footprint include a single-stream recycling program
that utilizes a 65-gallon wheeled recycling cart, a food scrap composting pilot
program for residential, commercial and educational institutions; and, the
County’s ban on disposable plastic bags in yard waste collection, reducing the
amount of waste reaching the landfill and “mining” of materials on the
landfill.
The County also passed a law
requiring owners of businesses, apartments and condominiums to establish
recycling programs within their offices and complexes; continues to foster a
recycling partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools; and, conducts public outreach and educational
programs for residents and businesses.
View a full copy of the MDE Report.
View and download photos from the Prince George's County Materials Recycling Facility (MRF).
For more information on the County’s Recycling Program, source reduction or other waste management programs, visit www.princegeorgescountymd.gov or contact CountyClick at 3-1-1.
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