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Every year, the Maryland General Assembly considers upwards of 2,500 bills of which as many as 700 or more may become law. And all this happens during a 90 day session!

MRN advocates on behalf of the Maryland recycling community to ensure that these legislative initiatives achieve their stated goals in a cost- and time-effective manner without creating unintended consequences that hobble our mission to promote a healthy, sustainable environment. Click these links to view current bills under consideration, recaps from prior years, and/or Maryland's current recycling laws.

MRN Advocacy

 

The 2025 Maryland General Assembly will convene January 8 - April 7, 2025. Stay tuned for updates on our legislative efforts and more.

*See Current Legislation for descriptions of bills we are following as well as statements and actions where applicable.


2/14/2025 Update: The Maryland General Assembly convened last week and a number of relevant bills have begun to pop up on the MRN Legislative Committee’s radar screen. Here's a brief update. 


Committees we are currently working with:

Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Commission (established in 2024 under SB0532): The Commission has approved and submitted the Interim Report for the Governor's review (due December 1, 2024) outlining the progress of the Commission and Subcommittees thus far. The final report is due on or before December 1, 2025. In the report the Commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly.

Tire Recycling Law Workgroup: MRN has hosted three Tire Workgroup Meetings (November, December and January) with the next one scheduled for late January or early February. At the most recent meeting, Delegate Boyce shared the latest version of her bill (HB0083), MDE's Bradley Baker provided an update on his conversation with Virginia tire regulators regarding their program and its potential applicability to MD, and Redmond (Red) Clark, PhD, President, (Asphalt Plus, LLC) presented options for using scrap tire rubber in asphalt manufacturing.

EPR Needs Assessment (established in 2023 under SB0222): The EPR Advisory Council voted on December 5, 2024, in favor of continued development of EPR recommendations after delivery of the Recycling Needs Assessment in January 2025.  The committee will develop EPR recommendations for proposed legislation in 2026. The vote was 11-4. The original motion was to support legislation in 2025.

If you have any comments or questions in the meanwhile, please don’t hesitate to contact us by reply by email or at (443) 741-8740.

2025 Session Legislation:



Click on the respective title or icon to view more information on each bill (* after bill title indicates MRN has provided statements and/or testimonies; + after bill title indicates bills that have passed). You can also view and filter all legislation currently under consideration in the MD Senate and House. And view (by day/week/month, senate/house, etc.) the calendar of committee meetings and video archive of past meetings.
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HB0009 Public Safety - Food System Resiliency Council - Definitions and Reports
HB0009 Public Safety - Food System Resiliency Council - Definitions and Reports

Altering certain definitions related to the Food Resiliency Council; defining what constitutes "healthy food priority areas" as predominantly lower-income areas that have limited access to retail outlets that sell, affordable, healthy foods, and defining "wasted food" as not used for its intended purpose that is managed in a variety of ways; and repealing certain outdated reporting provisions and updating ongoing reporting provisions.


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HB0042 / SB0134 Solid Waste Disposal Surcharge and Wasted Food Reduction and Diversion Fund and Grant Programs - Established
HB0042 / SB0134 Solid Waste Disposal Surcharge and Wasted Food Reduction and Diversion Fund and Grant Programs - Established

Establishing the On-Farm Organics Diversion and Recycling Grant Program in the Department of Agriculture to award grants to eligible entities to develop and implement on-farm organics recycling and compost use, wasted food prevention, and food rescue; establishing a solid waste disposal surcharge on the final disposal of solid waste in the State; requiring the Department to report to the General Assembly yearly beginning December 31, 2027, on the grants awarded, and the impact on job creation, producers, and food waste prevention; etc.


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HB0069 - Environment - Plastic Products - Postconsumer Recycled Content Program
HB0069 - Environment - Plastic Products - Postconsumer Recycled Content Program

Prohibiting certain producers of certain plastic products from selling, offering for sale, or distributing the products to any person in the State unless certain conditions are met; requiring certain producers of certain plastic products to, individually or as part of a representative organization, register yearly, beginning March 1, 2026, and pay a registration fee annually beginning May 15, 2026, to the Department of the Environment; establishing minimum postconsumer recycled content percentage requirements for certain products; etc.


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HB0083 Environment - Tire Recycling Fee - Alterations
HB0083 Environment - Tire Recycling Fee - Alterations

Requiring the Department of the Environment, instead of the Board of Public Works, to establish a tire recycling fee to be imposed on the first sale of a new tire in the State by a tire dealer; requiring the Department to set the tire recycling fee at $1 per tire beginning January 1, 2026; authorizing the Department to adjust the tire recycling fee for inflation every 2 fiscal years; and prohibiting the tire recycling fee from exceeding $2 per tire.


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HB0220 / SB0010 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Eligible Sources - Alterations (Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2025)
HB0220 / SB0010 Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard - Eligible Sources - Alterations (Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2025)

Altering the definition of "Tier 1 renewable source" for purposes of excluding energy derived from waste and refuse from being eligible for inclusion in the renewable energy portfolio standard; and applying the Act to all renewable energy portfolio standard compliance years starting on or after January 1, 2025.


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HB0232 Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program
HB0232 Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program

Establishing the Maryland Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program to increase the reuse and recycling of beverage containers and reduce the litter, pollution, and costs associated with beverage containers; prohibiting a producer from selling, offering for sale, or distributing in or importing into the State a redeemable beverage container unless the producer is registered with the Department of the Environment, pays a certain fee, and is part of a certain stewardship organization; etc.


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HB0277 / SB0096 Water Bottle Filling Stations - Requirement
HB0277 / SB0096 Water Bottle Filling Stations - Requirement

Requiring a water bottle filling station or a combined water bottle filling station and drinking fountain to be installed in certain new construction or as part of certain renovations beginning October 1, 2025; and requiring the Maryland Department of Labor to adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of the Act.


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HB 338 State Buildings & State Highways – Collection & Disposal of Yard Waste
HB 338 State Buildings & State Highways – Collection & Disposal of Yard Waste

Prohibiting a person from disposing of yard waste collected on the grounds of a State building or State highway in a single-use plastic container; requiring a person to collect yard waste on the grounds of a State building or State highway in a container that will not be discarded with the yard waste or is a compostable paper bag; and requiring all yard waste collected on the grounds of a State building or State highway to be disposed of in a certain manner.


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HB0407 Environment - Municipal Recycling Plans - Requirement
HB0407 Environment - Municipal Recycling Plans - Requirement

Requiring the largest municipal corporation in each county, beginning on or before January 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, to adopt or update certain recycling plans that provide for a reduction through recycling of a certain percentage of the municipal corporation's solid waste stream by weight under certain circumstances; and requiring the Department of Planning to identify certain municipal corporations as part of certain population projections.


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