MRN Advocacy

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defining "wasted food" as not used for its intended purpose that is managed in a variety of ways; and repealing certain outdated reporting provisions and updating ongoing reporting provisions.

Position: Support

Read full statement.

View Current Status

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.

Cross-filed with: SB0134

View Current Status

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.

Position: Support with Amendments

Read full statement.

*Watch Chaz Miller's in-person testimony.

View Current Status

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.

View Current Status

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.

Cross-filed with: SB0010

View Current Status

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.

Cross-filed with: SB0346

Position: Oppose due to concerns over potential negative economic impact on public/private Materials Recycling Facilities (MRF)

Read full statements on HB0232 and S0B346.

*Watch Chaz Miller's in-person testimony on HB0232.

View Current Status

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.

Cross-filed with: SB0096

Position: Support

Read full statements on HB0277 and SB0096.

*Watch Chaz Miller's in-person testimony on HB0277.

View Current Status

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.

Position: Support

Read full statement.

*Watch Chaz Miller's in-person testimony.

View Current Status

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.

Position: Oppose

Read full statement.

View Current Status

Establishing the Covered Electronic Device Recycling Program in the Department of the Environment; altering the contents and use of the State Recycling Trust Fund; establishing a separate covered electronic device recycling account and a separate covered electronic device manufacturer registration fee account within the Fund; altering certain provisions of law relating to registration fees for certain manufacturers of covered electronic devices; etc.

Cross-filed with: HB0931

Position: Support

Read full statements on SB0591 & HB0931.

*View Kitty McIlroy's in-person testimonies on SB0591 & HB0931

**MACo Backs Boost To Local Electronics Recycling Infrastructure

View Current Status

Requiring the owner or operator of a sports venue and the governing body of an institution of higher education that operates a sports venue to allow an individual attending a sporting event at the sports venue to bring and use a reusable beverage container during a sporting event.

Position: Support

Read full statement.

*Unfavorable Report by Economic Matters

View Current Status

Requiring certain producers of batteries and battery-containing products to individually or as part of a battery stewardship organization submit a certain battery stewardship plan to the Department of the Environment for review and approval by July 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, in accordance with certain requirements; requiring a battery stewardship program to be implemented within a certain amount of time after the Department approves a certain battery stewardship plan; etc.

Position: Support with Amendment: Request waiting for final report (due December 2025) from Commission to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Safety.

Read full statement.

*View Kitty McIlroy's in-person testimony.

View Current Status

Prohibiting, on and after January 1, 2031, a person from disposing of a mattress in a landfill, subject to certain exceptions; prohibiting, on and after January 1, 2031, a person from disposing of a mattress in an incinerator, subject to a certain exception; requiring certain producers of mattresses sold at retail in the State or a certain representative organization to submit a plan for the establishment of a Mattress Stewardship Program in the Department of the Environment for approval on or before July 1, 2027; etc.

Position: Support

Read full statement.

View Kitty McIlroy's in-person testimony.

View Current Status

Requiring certain producers of packaging materials, individually or as part of a producer responsibility organization, to submit a certain packaging materials producer responsibility plan to the Department of the Environment for review and approval on or before April 1, 2027, and every 5 years thereafter, in accordance with certain requirements.

Position: Support with Amendments

Read full statement.

*Watch Chaz Miller's in-person testimony



View Current Status

Altering the definition of recycling to exclude certain chemical conversion processes, pyrolysis, hydropyrolysis, methanolysis, gasification, enzymatic breakdown, or similar processes as determined by the Department of the Environment; and prohibiting a person from building in the State a facility that converts plastic to fuel or feedstock through a chemical conversion process.

View Current Status