Dumpster Dive 2023
Two hundred volunteers joined Volunteering Untapped Baltimore and WaterFront Partnership of Baltimore in sorting through trash from just one of the many dumpsters collected by Mr. Trash Wheel!
Thanks to Professor Trash Wheel for lending us his stomach.
The number of Volunteers doubled this year.
The Baltimore Community ToolBank hosted and provided all the tools and support needed - their 5th year. The ToolBank is truly awesome!
The Focus: Data
This year a weighing station was added. Volunteers were able to weigh the trash they sorted to add a data metric that will be used to advocate for litter and trash reduction policy!
Top Finds:
Food Wrappers: 9,915
Tobacco Products: 9,840
Plastic Bottles: 5,430
Runner Ups:
Straws: 3,018
Paper Products: 1,581
Personal Protective Equipment: 1,176
Trends:
Trends in packaging show the number of food wrappers and plastic containers may possibly be returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Plastic bottles are on the rise.
In the last year the number nearly doubled from 2,833 in 2022 to 5,430 this year.
Bans on plastic bags and polystyrene continue to work their magic, numbers declining from prior years. A plastic bag ban went into effect in Baltimore in January of 2022. Before the ban, in 2019 the total number of plastic bags was 1,337. This year 450 bags were counted. The polystyrene ban went into effect in July 2021. The number of items is down from 2,398 in 2019 to 214 in 2022 and 277 this year!
This year, our Trash Free Maryland Coalition advocated for Producer Responsibility for Packaging. The new law begins the process for establishing a Producer Responsibility Program that will help reduce climbing numbers of food wrappers, plastic containers, and plastic bottles (all packaging!). You can read more here.
The reduction in plastic bag numbers is also a great incentive for the continued support to encourage us all to bring our own reusable shopping bags and banning plastic bags elsewhere in Maryland. It is clear. Bans combined with fees help reduce the number of plastic bags in our environment.
Westminster, Takoma Park, Chestertown, and Frederick City banned plastic bags. Baltimore City, College Park, Easton, and Salisbury combine bans with fees for bags provided — a proven way to reduce use of plastic bags. Howard County and Montgomery County have fees for bags provided in place. College Park, Baltimore County, Easton and Salisbury are implementing new programs this year!
