September News - including upcoming Cheers to Clean Water Cleanups in Baltimore and Cambridge, status of reuse in Maryland’s extended producer responsibility for packaging program, and public feedback on the the draft Chesapeake Bay Agreement updates.

We’re at the mid-way point in the year and happy to be celebrating passage of 3 policies that will help reduce plastic trash at the source, organizing 3 successful cleanups for over 200 volunteers, and leading 15 advocacy and learning sessions for our coalition.

Over 70 volunteers volunteered their time with us in sweltering summer heat and humidity to clear the streets of litter and hear about our policy priorities. Cheers! to a trash free Maryland!

With the 2025 General Assembly session barely behind us, we at Trash Free Maryland are working with our coalition and organizations from across the state to build momentum for more ambitious policies to reduce trash pollution at the source. Read more about beverage container deposit return, extended producer responsibility for packaging, and our next cleanup event in Baltimore!

Trash Free Maryland led our Coalition in advocacy and understanding of more than a dozen bills related to trash and litter during the 2025 Maryland General Assembly Session. Extended producer responsibility for packaging passed with amendments, while many bills stalled. Read more about the Session outcomes here.

Trash Free Maryland installs litter trash boom in Cambridge Creek in partnership with City of Cambridge, Shore Rivers, Osprey Initiative, and River Network. The trash boom will help remove litter as well as provide data to identify the most effective litter prevention policies.

We are halfway through Maryland’s busy 2025 legislative session! We are tracking more than two dozen bills related to waste and litter, and we have been organizing our legislative advocacy coalition to provide education and testimony on the bottle bill, recycled content, extended producer responsibility for packaging, reductions in single-use plastic, and more!

As 2025 approaches, we’re reflecting on the past year. 75% of Maryland’s population is now covered by plastic bag bans or fees. We identified 10 proven practices to curb illegal dumping. We welcomed our new Executive Director and so much more!

That’s a wrap to the South Baltimore Brewery District Cleanups this year! Check out the data we collected on plastic bags and plastic bottles to help shape and show need for policies like extended producer responsibility for packaging, beverage deposit return systems, and plastic bag bans and fees.

The results are in for the South Baltimore Brewery District Cleanup! 40+ incredible volunteers braved the chilly morning air to make a difference. The data collected will help drive policies that stop litter at the source. Donate to turn cleanups into change!

The impacts on trash and litter have been felt by Marylanders across the state. Litter cleanups, giving generously, and sharing our mission have helped drive landmark victories. Litter does not belong in our communities, public spaces, and waterways. Together we are creating a Trash Free Maryland this Giving Tuesday with policy solutions to prevent trash and plastic pollution.

Trash Free Maryland lead the charge for the first in the nation Maryland statewide ban on expanded polystyrene foam food containers and lead the nation in passing a ban in microbeads in personal care products. Now we set our sights on packaging waste with Extended Producer Responsibility!