County to extend contract with solid waste operator

by Judith Hruz

Editor

The county Department of Environmental Protection is hoping a contract extension with its solid waste facilities operator will give it the time it needs to put other, more environmentally practices into place to reduce the amount of waste that must be burned, sent to landfills or disposed of in other ways

But DEP is working on getting the work done on those practices before the five-year extension expires.

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Director Jon Monger said the recommendation for extension is being made now and hoping to formally executive the new contract in the new year. The current contract is set to expire in April 2026.

“You can’t close something down without having something else in place,” Monger said, adding DEP is working for the closure of the solid waste facilities to coincide with the implementation of the new waste practices.

Montgomery County continues “Aim for Zero Waste,” as its effort of sustainable materials management is called, with several ongoing waste-diversion programs focused on increased recycling and food composting, as well as reducing the amount of waste being generated in the first place.

County Executive Marc Elrich has recommended the approval of a short-term extension to the current service agreement with Reworld Montgomery for the continued operation of the county’s existing mixed solid waste facilities. This agreement extension will ensure the acceptance, transfer, processing and disposal of mixed solid waste generated in the county until April 2031, with an option for early termination by the county.

“We are committed to finding innovative solutions to waste management and enhancing sustainability in Montgomery County,” said Elrich said. “This extension allows us the time needed to evaluate and implement the best available new technologies that will help us transition to a more sustainable future while ensuring that we maintain the safe, efficient operation of our waste management system in the interim.”

Montgomery County, in partnership with residents and businesses, is already recycling more and keeping more materials out of the trash, Monger said.

He said the county’s recycling rates continue to improve, even as the county grows in population, and Montgomery’s 45 recycling rate outpaces the national rate of 32 percent.

From 2018 to 2022, waste per person has decreased by 11 percent and between 2020 and 2022 plastic recycling increased by 110 percent, county officials reported.

Monger said the trash contains “valuable materials,” but the county does not have technology to pull out those commodities right now.

He said the effort is to continue to handle waste more efficiently.

“When you talk about what to do with trash, you’re choosing on landfilling or burning it,” Monge said, saying that is “false choice; both choices are problematic.
He added, “It’s about getting rid of trash in a sustainable way, as well generating less waste in the first place.”

Monger said the county wants to build a replacement system “so that we can close the incinerator.”

Montgomery County is making recycling easier with expanded recycling programs, including the launch of the Food Scraps Recycling drop-offs at community farmers markets across the county, including the Olney Farmers and Arts Market, where residents can bring leftover cooked food like meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetable scraps to be recycled.

Approximately 27,000 pounds of food scraps have been collected from approximately 3,800 residents to date.

The county also continues to expand the types of materials accepted for recycling at the Shady Grove Processing Facility & Transfer Station to include more types of electronics, batteries, durable medical equipment, plastic bags and film, mattresses and box springs.

In 2023, the county recycled over 500,000 pounds of mattresses and box springs and 36,000 pounds of durable medical equipment.

New technologies will also improve recycling and waste processing and allow the county to close the Resource Recovery Facility, which converts waste to energy. Simultaneously, the county is evaluating and implementing advanced recycling and waste processing technologies aimed at increasing efficiency and minimizing the volume of waste ultimately processed for disposal.

The county is upgrading its Recycling Center, located just south of Shady Grove Road near the Solid Waste Transfer Station, to add technologies aided by artificial intelligence, such as advanced optical sorters, which will significantly increase efficiency, better separate materials, reduce contamination and increase material quality and ma