Recycling Program

The Maryland Recycling Act (MRA) requires all Counties and Baltimore City to recycle 15% or 20% of their municipal solid waste, depending on population. The MRA also mandates that State government agencies achieve a waste reduction goal of at least 20%, or to an amount that is determined "practical and economically feasible".  Click to view a summary of AL's Recycling activities since 2002. 

Materials recycled from AL on a routine basis:

• Aluminum Cans
• Steel & Other Metal Cans
• Cardboard & Paperboard 
• Magazines, Catalogs, and Telephone Books
• Mixed Office Paper: bond paper, photocopy paper, colored paper, computer paper, greenbar paper, tablet paper, envelopes with/without windows
• Co-Mingled Plastics: #1, 2, 4, 5, 7
• Glass: clear, green, and brown
• Batteries – Rechargeable & Alkaline

Materials collected and held for recycling through special collections:

• Appliances & White Goods
• Electronic Equipment: computers, telephones, televisions, cell phones
• Telephone Books
• Toner & Ink Jet Cartridges
• Fluorescent Light Tubes

The following links are provided to highlight the Appalachian Laboratory's recycling efforts since 2002:

• Recycling Program Guidelines
• Yearly Recycling Rate Comparison for MRA Materials
• Recycling Statistics of all MRA Materials 
• Recycling Statistics of all MRA and non-MRA Materials
• Total Pounds of MRA Materials Recycled 

* Note: For 2012, MDE updated the conversion rate for solid waste disposed.  The previous ratio was 0.05 Yd3s to tons and was updated to 0.10 Yd3s to tons. This change lowered our recycling rate, however our recycling efforts did not decrease and our solid waste disposed did not increase.