MRN remains actively engaged in advocating for recycling legislation by working with legislators and providing testimonies at various hearings . In the last 2 weeks, MRN has provided testimony in front of the House Environment and Transportation Committee
on two important bills: Covered Electronic Device Recycling and Mattress Stewardship Program. Below is a recap of the latest round of testimonies along with statements
(read recap of prior testimonies here).
Be sure to visit the Legislative / Regulatory page for a full list of bills we are monitoring along with our responses as applicable.
HB0931 Covered Electronic Device Recycling Program – On February 26, Kitty McIlroy
testified in support of the bill highlighting its economic, environmental, and safety benefits. She noted that the bill is a true shared responsibility model among government, consumers, retailers and producers, and has broad support from government, private sector, electronics recyclers, solid waste associations, environmental nonprofits.
Read MRN's full statement
MRN members Kristyn Oldendorf (SWANA), Richard Keller (Baltimore County), and Gina Van De Walle (Howard County) also provided testimony in favor of the bill
while representing their respective organizations
(pictured left to right).
Note: McIlroy also testified on the Senate version SB0591 of the electronic recycling bill on February 18.
HB0858 Mattress Stewardship Program – On March 6, Kitty
testified in support of the bill noting that while mattresses are recyclable, there is a high cost incurred by jurisdictions which currently have such programs. This bill would support these programs by taking the financial burden off local governments and the public as well create local jobs while reducing the environmental impact of discarded mattresses.
McIlroy has worked closely with Delegate Hill to improve the bill from past years offering a number of amendments and suggestions. McIlroy also noted that this bill complements currently established laws covering tire and paint recycling ensuring that these difficult materials are responsibly managed.
Read full statement.
Thank you to all our members for taking the time out of your busy days to advocate for
sensible and sustainable legislation.