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MRN Brief: A Busy November

Published on 12/16/2024

November was a busy month for us. With the holidays fast approaching, we managed to hold a free webinar, sponsor and attend a recycling sculpture contest, host 2 tours and launch a workgroup. Here's a quick rundown of what we accomplished...

November webinar offers a look at Arlington's Multifamily Food Scraps Collection Program

Our final webinar of 2024, held on November 21, featured a look at Arlington VA’s ambitious pilot program to expand its ability to compost food scraps and prevent waste via on-street food scrap collection bins placed outside multifamily properties. Launched in July 2024, the program had collected more than 11,000 pounds of food waste by September 24.
 
During the webinar, Arlington's Chief of the Solid Waste Bureau Erik Grabowsky shared the goals, implementation details, and lessons learned. Two key takeaways shared: 1) A program of this multitude needs extensive planning, and 2) convenience and reliability are key!
 
»» Watch the full webinar

*Missed a webinar? Visit our Webinar Archive page to see what you missed!


MRN Presents $250 to 2024 MDE Sculpture Contest Grand Prize Winner

The Maryland Recycling Network was a proud sponsor of the 2024 Maryland Department of the Environment “Rethink Recycling” Sculpture Contest, contributing $250 to the grand prize winner of this year's contest. The MRN award was presented to Boore by MRN Vice President Michele Blair (see side picture courtesy of MDE)

This year’s grand prize winner was Hayley Boore from South Carroll High School for her entry “Artists All the Way Down,” a diorama made with cardboard, popsicle sticks, bottle caps, plastic straws, and other reused materials. Boore was awarded a $500 Amazon gift card in addition to the $250 from MRN.

The contest, open to high school students around Maryland, was held on Friday, November 22 at Montgomery Park in Baltimore City. Participants were judged in four categories including creativity, workmanship, use of materials and people's choice with a top prize going to the best all-around entry.

Amazon gift cards were also awarded to first-place and second-place entries in each category as well as two passes to the National Aquarium (see winners below). All participants received a $25 Amazon gift card.

The annual contest, which is held in celebration of America Recycles Day, challenges Maryland high school students to create works of art using recyclable materials. This year’s contest included 55 entries from 15 high schools. Congratulations to the winners and all the students for the hard work they put into their projects.

»» Read more

MDE and MRN Host Tour of the Montgomery County Recycling Center for the MD Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee

Image: Committee Chair Brian Feldman (far right) and committee members raised a number of questions regarding recycling issues and options.

Members of the Maryland Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee participated in a tour of the Montgomery County Recycling Center in Derwood on Monday, November 18. In addition to a look at the wide variety of drop-off options, they walked through the Center’s material recycling facility. The tour also included an in-depth presentation and Q&A session with the Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Recycling Network, and Montgomery County regarding recycling resources and practices throughout the state as well as goals for the future.

The tour represents a key strategy we utilize to position MRN as a credible source of subject matter expertise on which our state representatives can rely as they consider legislation to address critical environmental issues.

»» Read a brief update on our expectations for the 2025 session


MRN Board Tours R.Cup Facility in Hyattsville

Following its November 26th meeting, MRN Board of Directors toured R.World’s R.Cup wash facility in Hyattsville.

Another example of the growing reuse trend, R.World provides reusable cups to a wide variety of venues throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

»» Learn more about R.World


➡ MRN Kicks off the Maryland Scrap Tire Law Workgroup.

Led by Kitty McIlroy, MRN president, the workgroup met on 11/1 to explore the problems and limitations of The Scrap Tire Recycling Act of 1991. The group was created in hopes of developing possible solutions to improve the program as well as decrease the rate of illegal dumping. Participants in the workgroup include representatives of MDE, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Farm Bureau, SWANA, and tire recyclers/processors as well as Delegate Regina Boyce, who has previously expressed concern regarding illegal tire dumping in Baltimore City.





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