News & Updates

The deadline for submitting comments on the 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan was April 24, 2023. DPW thanks all contributors for the over 700 insightful comments and suggestions received on Solid Waste Management Plan drafts. View comment categories and responses. The latest batch of comments will be added on May 15, 2023.

This page will be updated with an overview of the entire update process and the final draft submitted to the Maryland Department of Environment on May 15.

Baltimore City 10-Year Solid Waste Plan

The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) is updating the City’s 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) and is seeking input from residents and other stakeholders – including environmental advocates; representatives from city businesses, schools, and hospitals; and those who live and work in the City. The State of Maryland requires Baltimore City to adopt and maintain a comprehensive solid waste management plan that covers at least the subsequent 10-year period. The 10-year Solid Waste Plan must be both approved by MDE and adopted by the Baltimore City Council.

The current 10-year Solid Waste Plan was adopted by the City Council on December 2, 2013, and approved by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) on March 3, 2014. Since the current SWMP’s adoption and approval in 2013, the City has reviewed the SWMP and made the required revisions.

What’s in the 10-Year Solid Waste Plan

The plan identifies the goals for managing the City’s solid waste stream, assesses the existing solid waste collection systems (public and private), current and future disposal capacity needs, and how reuse, recycling, and composting from residential, institutional, and commercial sources are to be implemented.

Review and update process

Baltimore City worked with Geosyntec Consultants to review and update its 10-Year Solid Waste Plan comprehensively. The review and updates include the following:

  • City of Baltimore’s solid waste management and the impact of federal, state, and local regulations.
  • Regional setting, population projections, and the current requirements and policies for the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
  • Policies and programs related to the Baltimore City’s Office of Sustainability’s 2019 Baltimore Sustainability Plan and the 2018 Baltimore Food Waste Recovery Strategy.
  • Current solid waste management activities and waste stream analysis.
  • Information regarding the adequacy of the existing, planned, and alternative solid waste management facilities and programs.
  • The City’s existing solid waste management systems and a plan of action to sustain the system into the future as presented in the current plan and the Less Waste Better Baltimore Plan.

Public meetings

Community input is an integral part of this plan’s update. From February to April 2023, DPW hosted three virtual public meetings and two in-person town halls to gather feedback on the plan as it is updated. The community meetings presented an overview of plan drafts at the 60%, 90%, and 99% benchmarks. Plan drafts were released for a two-week public comment period before each public meeting. 

Draft comments

The Solid Waste Management Plan Final Draft was open for comment from 3/31/23- 4/24/23.

The deadline for submitting comments on the 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan was April 24, 2023. DPW thanks all contributors for the over 700 insightful comments and suggestions we have received on Solid Waste Management Plan drafts. Comment categories and responses can be found here, and we will update the webpage with the latest batch of comments on May 15, 2023.

Resources

Press release archive
Public meeting recordings & slides

February 22, 2023: 60% Draft Public Review Meeting

March 13, 2023: 90% Draft Public Meeting

March 27, 2023: 99% Draft Public Meeting

Language access

DPW took the following steps to make engagement in the Solid Waste Management Planning Process accessible to stakeholders with limited English:

  • Collaborated with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to distribute marketing materials translated into Baltimore City’s top five languages: Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Korean and French.
  • Provided interpretation at Solid Waste Management Plan Draft Public Review Meetings for individuals who indicated a need in their registration at least one week before the meeting date.
  • Translated materials:

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently-asked questions (FAQs) and responses on the FAQ page.

Downloads

2013-2023 Solid Waste Plan