Informing EPR by Analyzing Maryland’s Recycling Systems  

Maryland commissioned a needs assessment to analyze its recycling infrastructure — a first step in supporting a potential packaging bill for extended producer responsibility (EPR). We conducted the needs assessment for the Maryland Department of the Environment, finding that a well-designed EPR program could significantly increase recycling rates for paper and packaging and expand recycling access to underserved communities.  

Maryland has unique demographics and geography, with two key urban centers — Baltimore and Washington D.C. The needs assessment evaluates the potential for increased program performance in both the urban centers and less-populated areas on the western panhandle and eastern shore, which struggle to improve recycling rates due to higher collection and transportation costs. 

We worked with several partners — including Eunomia Research and Consulting and MSW Consultants as well as local companies Straughan Environmental, Vision Planning and Consulting, and Assedo Consulting — to evaluate Maryland’s recycling potential across the state and provide key technical, financial and environmental insights in anticipation of the 2025 legislative session. 

To meet Maryland’s unique needs, our team conducted a waste characterization, extensively engaged stakeholders and modeled an EPR for packaging program. The resulting 154-page needs assessment outlines potential technical, financial and environmental impacts of improved recycling program performance. 

Evaluating feedback from 23 counties and 18 municipalities as well as recycling processing facilities, composting facilities, waste and recycling haulers, and strategic partners, we developed key data-driven insights and recommendations including:

• An EPR program for packaging could increase the current paper and packaging recycling rate from 34% to 50% or more.
• Potential upgrades to existing single-stream and dual-stream materials recovery facilities are anticipated to add more than 190,000 tons per year of recycling capacity and cost between $9.2 million and $10.3 million.
• An increase in recycling rates and investment could lead to the creation of more than 2,000 jobs and reduction of more than 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Increased recycling program performance could capture an additional $53 million of material value for about 20% higher costs.
• The estimated cost of the modeled EPR program would be $550 million, $144 million more than the cost of the state’s current recycling system.
• On a per-ton-recycled basis, the baseline cost is $412, and EPR could lower that cost to $378 per ton. 

Our work in Maryland builds upon our expertise gained during the producer-led needs assessment completed in Colorado, the first of its kind in the United States, which found ample opportunities for recycling and collection enhancements across the state. Colorado is currently developing a program plan for implementation of the statewide EPR for packaging program. In California, we are supporting the largest needs assessment in the U.S. to date.