From Staff Reports
OAKLAND — Garrett County’s recycling rate for 2012 was 46.83 percent, the county Department of Solid Waste & Recycling announ-ced. Its source reduction rate was 47.83 percent.
Source reduction, also known as waste prevention or pollution prevention, is the elimination of waste before it is created, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. It involves the design, manufacture, purchase or use of materials and products to reduce the amount or toxicity of what is thrown away.
The 1988 Maryland Recycling Act authorized the MDE to reduce the disposal of solid waste through management, education and regulation. Each of Maryland’s jurisdictions reports the amount and types of materials recycled annually. Populations of less than 150,000 are required to recycle 20 percent of their waste.
The county requests that each business report its recycling efforts within the county and outside of the county and state. The 2013 recycling report forms are available at http://www.garrettcounty.org/solid-waste-recycling/ garrett-county-recycling-program/2012-recycling-report. Some recycling forms will be mailed or emailed; businesses can expect to see these by early February. Completed recycling forms are due March 21 and may be emailed, faxed, scanned, mailed or hand-delivered.
Recycled materials may include grass clippings, leaves, brush, carpet or cloth remnants, catalogs, pallets, sawdust, oil filters, mixed paper and toner cartridges, aluminum cans, No. 1 and 2 plastic bottles, newspapers, cardboard, magazines, office paper, glass bottles and jars, electronics and mixed metal.
