Trash Free Maryland is working with our coalition to advance state and local skip the stuff policies that reduce plastic trash and litter, save businesses money, and improve customer convenience. Win-win-win!

We recently had an opportunity to meet the founder of Plastic Free July, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. She inspired us by sharing her journey in creating Plastic Free July to demonstrate the massive collective impact of millions of small actions taking place around the globe.

We recently hosted a learning session featuring Kristen Brown of Waste Zero sharing how communities in Maryland can use “Save As You Throw” unit-based pricing for trash to reduce waste, introduce a more fair way to pay for trash, and save money on disposal. We also learned about early results from a pilot program underway in Greenbelt, MD.

A recent article in Science finds plastic bag bans and fees work to reduce plastic bag litter along shorelines with a growing positive environmental impact with time.

Maryland’s 2026 General Assembly Session ended on April 13th. Here is how our litter priorities and other relevant waste and recycling bills ended up.

Maryland Paint Stewardship Program launches April 1, 2026! Legislation to create this product stewardship program passed in 2024, making it easier for all Marylanders to manage and recycle leftover paint! Visit paintcare.org/md to find a participating drop off site near you and recycle your used paint!

Maryland Crossover Day is March 23rd this year. Legislation that passes one chamber by this date has the best chance of making it through the session successfully.

Maryland’s first packaging producer responsibility regulations are open for public comment now! Trash Free Maryland is working with our coalition of environmental organizations to ensure that Maryland’s new extended producer responsibility for packaging program regulations and guidance support the legislature’s intent that the program minimize environmental and human health harms from packaging and reduce packaging - especially plastic packaging - at the source.

Executive Director, Kelly Doordan, stands in front of Maryland State House holding up Trash Free Maryland’s bottle bill support testimony with logos of dozens of supporting environmental organizations that signed on.

Trash Free Maryland and Baltimore Community ToolBank are partnering to co-host a Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Member from August 2026 to August 2027! Applications due March 6th! Read more…

Support the Maryland bottle bill! HB331/SB342 Maryland Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program, introduced by Delegate Terrasa and crossfiled in the Senate by Senator Brooks, would bring a modern beverage container recycling refund (or “bottle bill”) to Maryland! Bottle bills are proven policies for reducing impact and improving recycling quality. With plastic pollution on the rise, Maryland can’t afford to wait another year for a bottle bill to finally capture all the plastic beverage containers that escape into our environment each year.

Mr. Trash Wheel Dumpster Dive 2025! Results are in! Dozens of volunteers hand sorted and counted common litter found in streams and outfalls around Baltimore Harbor. We found nearly 2,000 beverage containers that would be covered by a bottle bill if the Maryland General Assembly passes the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Legislation (a “bottle bill”).