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 way while fostering smart growth, a thriving economy, and healthy communities.

Budget Overview

The total recommended FY21 Operating Budget for the Recycling and Resource Management is $131,231,547, an increase of $15,497,722 or 13.39 percent from the FY20 Approved Budget of $115,733,825. Personnel Costs comprise 10.06 percent of the budget for 86 full-time position(s) and two part-time position(s), and a total of 114.56 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 89.94 percent of the FY21 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 FY20 estimates reflect funding based on the FY20 approved budget. The FY21 and FY22 figures are performance targets based on the FY21 recommended budget and funding for comparable service levels in FY22.

Initiatives

• Continues to implement initiatives and programs that resulted from the Strategic Plan to Advance Composting, Compost Use, and Food Scraps Diversion in Montgomery County. The department is currently implementing a composting program for major producers of food scraps, and in FY21 is both planning a pilot residential food scraps collection program as well as provide compost bins for interested homeowners throughout the County.
  

• Partner with the Wheaton Urban District as well as the Mid-County Regional Services Center to address the lack of recycling bins in the Urban Districts. This partnership strives to increase the number of recycling bins along the streetscapes and sidewalks to improve compliance with recycling mandates, set an example for others in the public and private sector to follow.

• Reduce contamination and increase recycling, DEP is fully implementing a program that sends DEP field inspectors out to communities to monitor customers' blue bins prior to collection. Recycling staff provide educational materials to the target area, while personnel at the Materials Recovery Facility to sort material from the targeted area to determine if our efforts reduced contamination over time. This program yielded positive results in its pilot phase, showing a decrease in contamination and an increase in recycling.

Innovations and Productivity Improvements

• Installed a new electric screening system at the Dickerson Compost Facility. This new system has no hydraulic lines or motors, consumes less diesel fuel, and is a projected to increase in LeafGro production and reduce screening costs. The department estimates a gain in production hours and an increase in LeafGro sales.
  

• Established a Safety and Health Work Group for the Transfer Station. The purpose of this work group is to coordinate with the contractors responsible for operations at the facility to address safety issues and initiatives across the site, and to make health and safety an integral part of standard operating procedures, cultures, and programs. Three positions are added to ensure County oversight of the property during all hours of operation as well.

• Relocate Department of Environmental Protection offices to Wheaton as part of a Countywide initiative to centralize government services to support business growth and development. This move was planned as part of the Wheaton Redevelopment Program, which will encourage private reinvestment in Wheaton through targeted, complementary public investment.

Program Descriptions

  Administration and Support

Provides support to the Department's operations, programs, and mission. It provides overall management and policy direction to core professional services like budget and financial management, contract management, and information technology services management. The program's mission is to:Develop and evaluate CIP and operating budgets in a strategic and economically responsible manner...

  Commercial Recycling

This program provides for mandatory commercial sector recycling and waste reduction for all businesses, as well as the review of recycling and waste reduction plans and annual reports from all large and medium-sized businesses and targeted small businesses. Through this program, technical support, assistance, education, outreach, and training is provided...

  Dickerson Compost Facility

This program includes all processing, transporting, composting, and marketing of yard trim received by the County, including leaves received from the County's Leaf Vacuuming Program. Processing includes grinding brush to produce mulch at the Transfer Station, located in Derwood; and for hauling leaves and grass from the Transfer Station to...

  Dickerson Master Plan Implementation

This program provides for the implementation of the Dickerson Solid Waste Facilities Master Plan. This plan identifies the environmental, community, and operational effects of solid waste facilities in the Dickerson area (the RRF, the Site 2 Landfill, and the Compost Facility) and outlines policies and actions to mitigate those effects....

  Enforcement

Enforcement provided by the Department of Housing and Community Affairs under this program consists of six related components. Staff respond to resident complaints dealing with: storage and removal of solid waste; illegal solid waste dumping activities in the County; storage of unregistered vehicles on private property throughout the County; storage...

  Gude Landfill

The purpose of this program is to monitor air and water quality around the landfill, maintain stormwater management and erosion control structures, maintain site roads, and manage the landfill gas through collection and flaring systems. In addition, the program encompasses all operational functions necessary to maintain the Gude Landfill, which...

  Household & Small Quantity Hazardous Waste Management

This program funds a contractor to receive, sort, pack, ship, and properly dispose of household hazardous waste such as flammable products, insecticides, mercury, and reactive and corrosive chemicals. These products are brought in by residents and processed at State and Federally-approved hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. This program...

  Multi-Family Recycling

This program provides for mandatory recycling and waste reduction for multi-family properties. Program efforts include technical support, assistance, education, outreach and training about waste reduction, reuse, recycling and buying recycled products, in addition to the review and monitoring of waste reduction and recycling plans and annual reports. This program also...

  Oaks Landfill

This program maintains the closed Oaks Landfill in an environmentally sound and cost-effective manner in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations. Mandated duties under this program include maintaining monitoring wells for landfill gas and water quality around the landfill; managing landfill gas through collection, flaring, and gas-to-energy systems; maintaining...

  Out Of County Refuse Disposal

This program provides for the rail shipment of ash residue that is designated for recycling from the RRF to Fulton Rail Yard near Richmond, Virginia, where it is unloaded and transported by truck to the Old Dominion Landfill, a contracted landfill where the ash is processed for further metals removal...

  Recycling Center

This program provides for the separation, processing, and marketing of recyclable materials (mixed paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, metal, and plastic). The Recycling Center receives recyclable material collected under the County curbside collection program, as well as some materials from municipalities and multi-family properties and non-residential properties which have established recycling...

  Recycling Outreach And Education

This program provides for broadly educating everyone living, visiting, and working in the County about waste reduction, reuse, recycling, buying recycled products, backyard and on-site composting, and grasscycling, and the need to comply with applicable County laws. Public education is an important effort which supports solid waste program goals and...

  Residential Collection

This program administers Countywide contracts with private collectors for collection of residential refuse and recyclables, and responds to the service needs of residents. Staff processes service requests from MC311 to ensure timely fulfillment by collection contractors. This program also provides for enforcement of the County's recycling regulations as they apply...

  Resource Recovery Facility & Related Waste Transfer

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 by the combustion of municipal solid waste and is sold into the...

  Satellite Sites

This program provides for the operation of a satellite drop-off site at the Poolesville Highway Services Depot. Residents can bring bulky materials to this site. The site, which operates only on Saturday, provides drop-off for bulky waste items as a convenience to County residents and reduces the incidence of roadside...

  Site 2

This program provides for the management of properties acquired for a potential future landfill. All properties are leased and/or used by private residents. Management activities include the inspection, evaluation, and maintenance of leased agricultural land, single-family dwellings, and agricultural buildings. Activities are coordinated with the Department of General Services as...

  Support for Recycling Volunteers

The mission of this program is to recruit and retain recycling volunteers to augment available staff resources to educate the general public and thereby improve participation in waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and buying recycled programs. This resident-to-resident and peer-to-peer contact is very effective in motivating people living, visiting, and working...

  Transfer Station

The purpose of this program is to provide a receiving, processing, and shipping facility for municipal solid waste generated within the County. In addition to regular trash, waste that is handled or recycled includes scrap metal, oil and anti-freeze, textiles, car batteries, and construction material. County staff operates the scale-house...

  Waste System Planning

This program supports the planning and development of solid waste programs in accordance with the mandates of the County's Ten-Year Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan. This may include evaluating existing source reduction, recycling, composting, collection, and disposal programs and policies with the intent of achieving solid waste program goals....

  Yard Trim Reduction

The purpose of this program is to provide education and training to residents, multi-family properties, and businesses to reduce the amount of yard trim materials (grass, leaves, and brush) generated and also to manage what is generated on-site through grasscycling, backyard, or on-site composting, thus reducing the amount of yard...

  Food Waste Organics Recycling

This program is designed to promote recycling of food scraps as part of the County's overall effort to increase recycling, and to reduce the amount of food waste within the County. The program includes initiatives to recycle food scraps and other acceptable organic materials, generated by the single-family residential, multi-family...

  Administration and Support

Administration and Support...

  Materials and Collection

Materials and Collection...

  Disposal

Disposal...