Trash Free Maryland

Trash Free Maryland We're the leading advocate for public policies to reduce trash pollution and litter in Maryland

Did you know there is a new Global Reuse Symbol?Formally launched this week, a quick, clear symbol that will help consum...
06/05/2026

Did you know there is a new Global Reuse Symbol?

Formally launched this week, a quick, clear symbol that will help consumers identify reusable products and packaging. It will work similarly to the classic chasing arrows for recycling but it will distinguish reusable from recyclable materials.

Have you seen this symbol anywhere yet? If not, look for it on reusable products!

We’re excited to see standards developing for reuse systems and reuse targets are/will be included in MD’s packaging EPR program, and we see reuse as an important part of source reduction for single use plastics.

In addition, follow to find out more about how we’re advancing reuse policies in MD.

For more info about the symbol:
https://www.pr3standards.org/global-reuse-symbol

06/04/2026

It’s graduation season!🎓 and with that comes celebrations and balloons🎈!!

However, balloon releases can have very detrimental effects on the surrounding environment. They can cause power outages when caught in power lines, their plastic ribbons can easily get tangled and harm wildlife, and more.

(House Bill 391) Solid Waste Management – Prohibition on Releasing a Balloon Into the Atmosphere has been in effect since 2021 in Maryland.

Consider celebrating with reusable banners, flags/signs, bubble releases, recycling your balloons, etc.!!

Balloon Prevention (https:// www.preventballoonlitter.org/)
(https://balloonmission.org/collect/) Balloon Recycling

We stopped by Capitol Hill this week for a lunchtime briefing on a new Wildlife Impact Calculator to add to our toolkit ...
05/20/2026

We stopped by Capitol Hill this week for a lunchtime briefing on a new Wildlife Impact Calculator to add to our toolkit for education and advocacy for collective action to clean up and prevent plastic litter!

The tool helps estimate the potential benefit of cleanups to marine wildlife by exploring the question: what if the plastic items collected had ended up ingested by ocean animals instead?

Our cleanups capture counts of common litter items so that we can advocate for upstream solutions to stop them at the source. This tool gives us another way to communicate the value and impact of keeping plastic trash out of our neighborhoods and waterways.

Explore the Wildlife Impact Calculator tool or the database behind it here: https://wildlifeimpactcalculator.org/

Dr. Beth Polidoro of , and Dr. Britta Baechler and Dr. Erin Murphy of shared insights into the significance of the award-winning, peer-reviewed research into plastic impacts on marine life and the corresponding calculator that helps people connect litter cleanup activities to impact -- something right up our alley!

If you want to read more of the science behind the tool, the link to the award-winning paper, A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, published in PNAS, is here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2415492122

Did you know? Last week was International Compost Awareness Week (May 3rd - May 9th)!In light of Gov. Moore’s recent bil...
05/11/2026

Did you know? Last week was International Compost Awareness Week (May 3rd - May 9th)!

In light of Gov. Moore’s recent bill signing of HB429/SB599: On-Farm Organics Diversion and Recycling Grant Program, it couldn’t have a more timely!~

While International Compost Awareness Week may be over, it’s never too late to implement some of these practices to help manage and prevent excessive food waste. ♻️

This past weekend, we had another cleanup with the Howard Park Civil Association as a part of a multi-year partnership! ...
05/07/2026

This past weekend, we had another cleanup with the Howard Park Civil Association as a part of a multi-year partnership!

We found a lot of interesting items and lots of evidence of repeated dumping of commercial landscaping waste, auto repair parts, and general garbage. In total we collected about 45 bags of trash, 7 tires, 2 safety cones, 3 dozen vehicle spare parts, and countless bottles and cans. There is a lot more to do to help prevent this dumping and littering in the area but any little bit is progress. While we found countless bottles and cans and think a bottle bill would help with that, we are also working with the community to develop longer term more permanent solutions to this ongoing issue.

With only 12-13 volunteers present, we were able to collect quite a lot! Thank you to all of our volunteers and others who stopped by to join, as we couldn’t have done it without you!

Thanks to the great leadership of so many partners including The Institute for Local Self Reliance and and others like ...
05/05/2026

Thanks to the great leadership of so many partners including The Institute for Local Self Reliance and and others like and , HB429/SB599: On-Farm Organics Diversion and Recycling Grant Program is now officially signed into law. We were thrilled to be part of the bill signing for HB429/SB599 with Gov. Wes Moore!

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3717 Boston Street , #242
Baltimore, MD
21224

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