Do You Wish Your Yard Waste Didn't Go to Waste?

On Thursday, July 12 at 3:00 pm the Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee of the City Council will hear two bills concerning composting in Baltimore City. Please join us in the City Council Chambers to show support for their passage:   

12-0049R Investigative Hearing: Municipal Composting

This resolution, introduced by Councilman Henry, would request the Director of the Department of Public Works and the Chief of the Bureau of Solid Waste to report to the City Council on the department’s progress toward establishing a municipal composting program in Baltimore City.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 27% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream – a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead. Compost offers the obvious benefits of resource efficiency and creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been landfilled.

In June 2009, a City Council resolution calling for an informational hearing on the recycling of yard waste found that in Baltimore City the processing of yard waste is limited. This legislation seeks show the progress Baltimore has made toward establishing such a program that will decrease the output of waste in the City and help improve its overall environment.   

12-0100 Solid Waste Management Plan for Baltimore City – Amendment

This bill would add Chesapeake Composting Works, located at 5401 Curtis Avenue, to the list of approved waste disposal facilities in Baltimore City’s Solid Waste Management Plan.

The current Solid Waste Management Plan was adopted in 2002, and provides a list of approved waste disposal facilities throughout the City. Over the years the plan has been amended to include more recycling facilities, as the City and its citizens have become more cognizant of the importance of environmentally sound waste disposal.

This latest addition to the plan is notable as the first (and only) composting site to be included, demonstrating the City’s commitment to establishing a Municipal Composting Program.  

We hope to see some folks there to support these exciting composting initiatives!