Maryland Business Recycling Report

Starting in March 2024, the state of Maryland began collecting information on business recycling and waste disposal through the Maryland Annual Business Recycling Report. Managed by the Maryland Department of the Environment, the report is due annually on March 1st and asks businesses to report information on the waste generated over the previous year.

Who is required to submit the report?

  • Any businesses required by county or local regulations to report on their recycling or waste diversion efforts.
  • Any business or entity required under COMAR 26.04.13 Food Residuals – Organics Recycling and Waste Diversion to divert food residuals from landfills and incineration. More specifically, as of January 1, 2024, any entity generating at least 1 ton of organic waste per week and located within a 30-mile radius of a composting facility must divert food waste and submit an annual waste and recycling report.

What’s included in the report?

The Annual Business Recycling Report collects information on all waste streams generated and disposed of by a business, not just compost. Information on trash, recycling, compost, and any specialty recycling streams should be reported. To complete the report, you’ll need the name of your solid waste and recycling haulers, the total tonnage for the previous calendar year of solid waste and recycling, and the processing/disposal facility name.

If you’re unsure of how much waste you disposed of last year, there are multiple options to get exact or estimated weights for each waste stream depending on the waste-hauling equipment your business uses.

  • Request weights from your hauler if your business uses compactors for its trash or recycling. Your hauler can provide you with a report of tons per service and the final destination of material.
  • If you don’t have a compactor, estimate your waste disposal based on the size of your equipment, the number of pick-ups per week, and weeks per year when the equipment was in use. Use the MDE waste estimation calculation table included in the guide here to calculate the total tons disposed of.

Businesses can submit the report via the online form or complete the PDF version and send it to your county coordinator.

How can you use the Annual Recycling Report for your benefit?

Now that your business is calculating your annual waste disposal use the information to your benefit.

  • Create a tracking tool that will allow you to monitor waste throughout the year. Not only will this help streamline the submission process of the report each year, but you can also ensure your equipment size and schedule are right for your business.
  • Document unique recycling and donation waste streams. Weigh and record unique recycling items before they’re picked up, or ask the hauler for weight information. Use the data on these unique recycling streams to promote sustainable programs within your business.  
  • Create a baseline waste profile for your business. Make goals each year to increase recycling and composting and decrease solid waste disposal. Use the annual report to compare each year to your baseline and monitor your progress.
  • Share your waste diversion and recycling success internally to staff and externally through your communication channels.

Need help getting started?

Our team can walk you through the process of calculating your waste generation and completing your report. We’re experts at tracking and dissecting waste data and can help you on your journey to reaching your waste diversion goals.