Montgomery County Maryland Operating Budget

Budget Year / Version:

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County's air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy, and healthy communities.

Budget Overview

The total approved FY25 Operating Budget for the Recycling and Resource Management is $154,860,183, an increase of $12,209,190 or 8.56 percent from the FY24 Approved Budget of $142,650,993. Personnel Costs comprise 10.38 percent of the budget for 76 full-time position(s) and one part-time position(s), and a total of 117.90 FTEs. Total FTEs may include seasonal or temporary positions and may also reflect workforce charged to or from other departments or funds. Operating Expenses account for the remaining 89.62 percent of the FY25 budget.

In addition, this department's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) requires current revenue funding.

County Priority Outcomes

While this program area supports all eight of the County Result Areas, the following are emphasized:

A Greener County
Effective, Sustainable Government

Program Performance Measures

Performance measures for this department are included below (where applicable), with multi-program measures displayed at the front of this section and program-specific measures shown with the relevant program. The FY24 estimates reflect funding based on the FY24 approved budget. The FY25 and FY26 figures are performance targets based on the FY25 approved budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY26.

Initiatives

Add new funds and a position to implement zero waste initiatives that divert material from the traditional waste stream, like food scraps collection and processing and expanding the type of materials that can be recycled.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

Added a low-speed, high-torque shredder to reduce the size of yard trim material at the yard trim facility. While the average throughput per hour is lower than the high-speed, horizontal grinders, this unit has significantly more uptime and burns about 60% less fuel. The Material Management Section is focused on selecting capital equipment to increase operating efficiency and reduce operating and maintenance costs at both the grinding operation and the compost facility.
Implemented the Tire Tracking Application that allows staff to quickly gather and store necessary customer information along with the number of tires dropped off so that when that customer returns, their license is scanned and their record quickly appears, reducing the process time significantly. Previously, contractors at the transfer station would manually write down customer vehicle registration numbers and the amount of tires they dropped off in a ledger. Residents can drop off up to five tires a year.
Added unattended vehicle processing at the recycling scale house that does not require an employee to process. Custom built transaction kiosks were installed so that drivers can now process themselves in less than 20 seconds without a scale attendant being present. Lift gates were also installed that will raise automatically when the transaction is complete.

Program Descriptions

Administration and Support

The Office of the Deputy Director provides for overall management of departmental programs to ensure safe and efficient operations, including contract administration management for the department, continuity of operations, oversight of operational programs for the County's Integrated Solid Waste Management System (ISWMS), and communications and public engagement. The Office provides...

Materials and Collection

This program provides for collection of refuse from single family residences in the southern parts of the County (Subdistrict A) and the funds to secure, administer, monitor, and enforce contracts with private collectors for collection of residential recyclables for the entire County. It also responds to residents' service needs. ...

Program Performance Measures	Actual FY22	Actual FY23	Estimated FY24	Target FY25	Target FY26
Number of tons of Municipal Solid Waste accepted at the Transfer Station: Commercial and multi-family buildings	257,706	299,282	253,220	272,601	277,760
Number of business site visits to provide guidance and recycling support	3,144	6,619	10,000	10,000	10,000
Number of Multi-Family Building site visits to provide guidance and recycling support	1,038	2,653	2,500	2,500	2,500
Average number of refuse collections missed per week, not picked up within 24 hours	13	12	11
Average number of recycling collections missed per week, not picked up within 24 hours ¹	58	25	33

Disposal

This program provides for the operation of the Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility (RRF). The RRF serves as the primary disposal facility for non-recycled waste generated in the County. Renewable energy in the form of electricity is generated and sold into the competitive energy market. This program also includes costs...

Program Performance Measures	Actual FY22	Actual FY23	Estimated FY24	Target FY25	Target FY26
Number of tons of County-wide yard trim and leaves collected	155,966	166,578	166,122	164,550	167,395
Number of tons of County-wide Commingled Recycling collected	33,821	33,701	35,886	34,828	35,153
Number of tons of County-wide Mixed Paper collected	107,310	113,695	106,598	110,267	111,289
Number of tons of County-wide Food Waste collected	4,386	8,822	9,000	9,000	9,000
Number of tons of County-wide Household Hazardous Waste collected	3,598	3,615	3,432	3,583	3,579
Number of tons of Municipal Solid Waste accepted at the Transfer Station: Residential, single family, and townhouse communities	210,791	197,838	205,697	206,832	205,524

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2025 APPROVED Budget

Archives

Data

Budget Snapshot

154.9M FY25 Approved
Operating Budget

117.9 Full Time
Equivalents

Budget Trends

Program Contacts

Contact Vicky Wan of the Recycling and Resource Management at 240.777.7722 or Richard H. Harris of the Office of Management and Budget at 240.777.2795 for more information regarding this department's operating budget.

Related Links

Montgomery County MD Home Page

Budget Summary

Title	Actual FY23	Budget FY24	Estimate FY24	Approved FY25	%Chg Bud/App
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
EXPENDITURES
Salaries and Wages	9020528.00	10089242.00	9577121.00	11051142.00	9.5
Employee Benefits	2343920.00	2881410.00	2735436.00	3174601.00	10.2
Solid Waste Disposal Personnel Costs	11364448.00	12970652.00	12312557.00	14225743.00	9.7
Operating Expenses	135628787.00	115628349.00	115628349.00	123782286.00	7.1
Capital Outlay	3053765.00	2685199.00	2685199.00	2718863.00	1.3
Debt Service Other	0.00	0.00	0.00	1820000.00	0.0
Solid Waste Disposal Expenditures	150047000.00	131284200.00	130626105.00	142546892.00	8.6
PERSONNEL
Full-Time	73.00	76.00	76.00	72.00	-5.3
Part-Time	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.0
FTEs	101.53	104.52	104.52	106.12	1.5
REVENUES
Other Licenses/Permits	13265.00	14129.00	12000.00	12000.00	-15.1
Other Charges/Fees	221896.00	155994.00	188000.00	188000.00	20.5
Sale of Recycled Materials	5500101.00	6566067.00	5323744.00	5718424.00	-12.9
Solid Waste Disposal Fees/Operating Revenues	26737595.00	34454679.00	31677433.00	33700024.00	-2.2
Systems Benefit Charge	88010709.00	88528968.00	87737275.00	93688259.00	5.8
Other Fines/Forfeitures	25211.00	43195.00	15000.00	15000.00	-65.3
Miscellaneous Revenues	18204617.00	103913.00	95000.00	95000.00	-8.6
Property Rentals	5852.00	1128.00	5000.00	5000.00	343.3
Investment Income	3880707.00	5045640.00	6169940.00	5469990.00	8.4
Solid Waste Disposal Revenues	142599953.00	134913713.00	131223392.00	138891697.00	2.9

SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
EXPENDITURES
Salaries and Wages	1099443.00	1405341.00	1282979.00	1449944.00	3.2
Employee Benefits	240615.00	378476.00	350838.00	398447.00	5.3
Solid Waste Collection Personnel Costs	1340058.00	1783817.00	1633817.00	1848391.00	3.6
Operating Expenses	9223599.00	9582976.00	9717976.00	10464900.00	9.2
Solid Waste Collection Expenditures	10563657.00	11366793.00	11351793.00	12313291.00	8.3
PERSONNEL
Full-Time	4.00	4.00	4.00	4.00	0.0
Part-Time	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.0
FTEs	12.08	12.08	12.08	11.78	-2.5
REVENUES
Systems Benefit Charge	11749529.00	14882400.00	14830560.00	14963680.00	0.5
Investment Income	-128113.00	102960.00	203690.00	180580.00	75.4
Miscellaneous Revenues	0.00	0.00	10000.00	0.00	0.0
Solid Waste Collection Revenues	11621416.00	14985360.00	15044250.00	15144260.00	1.1

DEPARTMENT TOTALS
Total Expenditures	160610657.00	142650993.00	141977898.00	154860183.00	8.6
Total Full-Time Positions	77.00	80.00	80.00	76.00	-5.0
Total Part-Time Positions	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00	0.0
Total FTEs	113.61	116.60	116.60	117.90	1.1
Total Revenues	154221369.00	149899073.00	146267642.00	154035957.00	2.8

FY25 Approved Changes

Title	Expenditures	FTEs
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
FY24 ORIGINAL APPROPRIATION	131284200	104.52
Changes (with service impacts)
Add: Zero Waste Program and Project Management (Program Manager II) [Disposal]	3095355	1.00
Other Adjustments (with no service impacts)
Increase Cost: Operations of the Resource Recovery Facility [Disposal]	2794222	0.00
Increase Cost: Residential Recycling Collection Program [Materials and Collection]	1918931	0.00
Increase Cost: Yard Trim Composting Equipment [Materials and Collection]	1827906	0.00
Increase Cost: Anticipated Debt Service for Capital Projects [Administration and Support]	1820000	0.00
Increase Cost: Annualization of FY24 Compensation Increases	523262	0.00
Increase Cost: FY25 Compensation Adjustment	506608	0.00
Increase Cost: Information Technology Support Costs [Administration and Support]	150740	0.00
Increase Cost: Operations of the Transfer Station [Disposal]	94560	0.00
Increase Cost: Annualization of FY24 Lapsed Positions	88331	0.00
Increase Cost: Recycling Center Operations [Materials and Collection]	70000	0.00
Shift: Realign Positions Based on Workload (Disposal Fund) [Disposal]	49857	0.25
Increase Cost: Oaks Landfill Maintenance [Disposal]	45895	0.00
Increase Cost: Gude Landfill Maintenance [Disposal]	35899	0.00
Shift: Realign Positions Based on Workload (Disposal Fund) [Administration and Support]	34501	0.50
Increase Cost: Food Waste Reduction Effort [Materials and Collection]	22940	0.00
Increase Cost: Multifamily and Commercial Recycling Programs [Materials and Collection]	8662	0.00
Increase Cost: Recycling Outreach and Volunteers [Materials and Collection]	6175	0.00
Increase Cost: Paper Recycling Program [Materials and Collection]	6028	0.00
Increase Cost: Three Percent Inflationary Adjustment to Non-Profit Service Provider Contracts [Administration and Support]	5493	0.00
Increase Cost: Printing and Mail	2887	0.00
Increase Cost: Chargeback from Department of Housing and Community Affairs [Administration and Support]	1650	0.00
Decrease Cost: Annualization of FY24 Personnel Costs	-14	0.00
Decrease Cost: Chargeback from Department of Finance [Administration and Support]	-1640	0.00
Decrease Cost: Adjustment to Wheaton Office Building Expenses [Administration and Support]	-4524	0.00
Decrease Cost: Motor Pool Adjustment	-5328	0.00
Decrease Cost: Retirement Adjustment	-5857	0.00
Shift: Realign Positions Based on Workload (Disposal Fund) [Materials and Collection]	-17807	0.00
Re-align: Elimination of Long-Term Vacancy (Disposal Fund) [Administration and Support]	-19145	-0.15
Decrease Cost: Out-of-County Haul Program Adjustments [Disposal]	-22463	0.00
Decrease Cost: Yard Trim Outreach [Materials and Collection]	-46125	0.00
Decrease Cost: Maintenance of Site 2 Property [Disposal]	-63698	0.00
Decrease Cost: Elimination of One-Time Items Approved in FY24	-120000	0.00
Decrease Cost: Household Hazardous Waste Program [Disposal]	-126452	0.00
Decrease Cost: Risk Management Adjustment	-231419	0.00
Decrease Cost: Removal of Recurring Dickerson Master Plan Funding from FY24 [Disposal]	-332738	0.00
Shift: Oaks Landfill Leachate Plant Improvements to Capital Budget [Disposal]	-850000	0.00
FY25 APPROVED	142546892	106.12

SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
FY24 ORIGINAL APPROPRIATION	11366793	12.08
Other Adjustments (with no service impacts)
Increase Cost: Residential Refuse Collection Program [Materials and Collection]	902523	0.00
Increase Cost: Annualization of FY24 Compensation Increases	70223	0.00
Increase Cost: FY25 Compensation Adjustment	60563	0.00
Increase Cost: Printing and Mail	44	0.00
Decrease Cost: Adjustment to Dept. of Finance Chargeback [Administration and Support]	-800	0.00
Decrease Cost: Retirement Adjustment	-926	0.00
Decrease Cost: Annualization of FY24 Personnel Costs	-1761	0.00
Re-align: Elimination of Long-Term Vacancy (Collection Fund) [Administration and Support]	-6382	-0.05
Shift: Realign Positions Based on Workload (Collection Fund) [Materials and Collection]	-13798	0.00
Decrease Cost: Risk Management Adjustment	-19843	0.00
Shift: Realign Positions Based on Workload (Collection Fund) [Administration and Support]	-43345	-0.25
FY25 APPROVED	12313291	11.78

Program Summary

Program Name	FY24 APPR Expenditures	FY24 APPR FTEs	FY25 APPR Expenditures	FY25 APPR FTEs
Administration and Support	8413739	40.80	10493895	41.10
Disposal	62185279	21.65	67598877	25.65
Materials and Collection	72051975	54.15	76767411	51.15
Total	142650993	116.60	154860183	117.90

Charges to Other Departments

Charged Department	Charged Fund	FY24 Total$	FY24 FTES	FY25 Total$	FY25 FTES
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
General Services	General Fund	389899	0.00	417192	0.00
Alcohol Beverage Services	Liquor	20210	0.00	21624	0.00
Parking District Services	Bethesda Parking	75299	0.00	80570	0.00
Parking District Services	Silver Spring Parking	145893	0.00	156105	0.00
Parking District Services	Wheaton Parking	14119	0.00	15107	0.00
Total		645420	0.00	690598	0.00

Funding Parameter Items ($000s)

Title	FY25	FY26	FY27	FY28	FY29	FY30
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
EXPENDITURES
FY25 Approved	142547.000000	142547.000000	142547.000000	142547.000000	142547.000000	142547.000000
No inflation or compensation change is included in outyear projections.
Annualization of Positions Approved in FY25	0.000000	32.000000	32.000000	32.000000	32.000000	32.000000
New positions in the FY25 budget are generally assumed to be filled at least two months after the fiscal year begins. Therefore, the above amounts reflect annualization of these positions in the outyears.
Labor Contracts	0.000000	258.000000	258.000000	258.000000	258.000000	258.000000
These figures represent the estimated annualized cost of general wage adjustments, service increments, and other negotiated items.
Subtotal Expenditures	142547.000000	142837.000000	142837.000000	142837.000000	142837.000000	142837.000000

SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
EXPENDITURES
FY25 Approved	12313.000000	12313.000000	12313.000000	12313.000000	12313.000000	12313.000000
No inflation or compensation change is included in outyear projections.
Labor Contracts	0.000000	33.000000	33.000000	33.000000	33.000000	33.000000
These figures represent the estimated annualized cost of general wage adjustments, service increments, and other negotiated items.
Subtotal Expenditures	12313.000000	12346.000000	12346.000000	12346.000000	12346.000000	12346.000000