Ever since Maryland created the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority in 1980 in order to support the development of trash incinerators, this quasi-state agency has played a driving role in the proliferation of incinerators in our state. In 1985, the Waste Authority guided the construction of the BRESCO trash incinerator in Baltimore City; in 1988, another trash incinerator in Harford County; in 1995, the Dickerson trash incinerator in Montgomery County; and in 2006, a new trash incinerator was proposed to be built in Frederick County - all with the Waste Authority's recommendations and direct involvement.
Over the last two decades, a growing movement has helped to turn the tide against trash incineration. After eight years of hard-fought grassroots campaigning, activists in Frederick and Carroll Counties killed the proposed incinerator in 2014 before it could be built. Harford County's incinerator closed in 2016, and leaders in Montgomery County and Baltimore City have made it clear that trash incineration is part of those places' past, not their future. We know we don't want any new trash incinerators or other waste-to-energy polluters proposed for Maryland, but that outcome is more likely if the Waste Authority keeps operating unchanged. So, it's time for the state to evaluate whether the Waste Authority should be part of our future, too.
The Waste Authority performs other functions than only supporting trash incineration, but each of those other roles is something that other state entities also do. For the counties that use it, the Waste Authority offers consultant contracts on landfill management, landfill gas capture, recycling and composting, and even recently some solar projects. The Maryland Environmental Service partners with counties in Maryland on recycling, composting, landfill management, and many other projects, and the Maryland Clean Energy Center partners with counties on landfill gas capture and solar projects - and both of these state government entities do it without the exorbitant fees the Waste Authority charges participating jurisdictions. Only eight Maryland counties (including Baltimore City) use the Waste Authority; the other sixteen do not.
In 2021, the State Transparency and Accountability Reform Commission set up by Governor Hogan recommended that "Given that, to the Commission’s knowledge, the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority does not have any outstanding bonds, it may be appropriate to consolidate them into Maryland Environmental Service since their work overlaps. This could help eliminate any redundancies and integrate the efforts of both agencies to better serve the state.” The Waste Authority Evaluation Act (sponsored by Delegate Korman, who served on the Commission) will take the next step: commissioning an official state evaluation of the Waste Authority's efficiency, effectiveness, technical abilities, and purpose, including draft statutory changes to merge the Waste Authority into MES or other steps to improve the status quo.
Take action today! Tell your representatives to support the Waste Authority Sunset Act (HB161, sponsored by Delegate Korman) and plan for a Zero Waste future in Maryland.
