County Raises Recycling Goal to 70 Percent

Upholding its reputation as a local leader in recycling efforts, Montgomery County is stepping up again with the establishment of a new, higher recycling goal--70 percent of the waste stream being recycled by the end of 2020.

The new goal is the first to be established since the original goal of recycling 50 percent of the waste stream was established nearly 20 years ago. It puts Montgomery County in an elite group of major jurisdictions which have the highest recycling goals in the United States. Both Florida and California have recycling rate goals of 75 percent, while the City of Seattle's recycling rate goal is 70 percent. Maryland's recycling rate goal is 35 percent with an additional waste reduction goal of 5 percent. For more information about recycling in Montgomery County, visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/recycling.