BALTIMORE — Out with the old and in with the new. Baltimore's current 10-year solid waste management plan is ending this year.
On Monday, the Baltimore City Department of Public Works gave people one last chance to have a say in its next 10-year plan.
DPW’s plan is to clean up the city of Baltimore with its own initiatives and ideas from the public.
The city adopted the current plan in December 2013. The new plan will go into effect in January 2024.
At the meeting, DPW highlighted garbage pick up and disposal, how it plans to address illegal dumping and litter, and the hot topic of recycling.
"One of the things that has been problematic for us has been biweekly, it's just not working for us,” said Tanya Bryant-Nickens, who attended the meeting.
It stems back to COVID-19, when recycling went from weekly to every other week.
"I think we very conveniently forget what COVID did, we had an entire yard shut down because people refuse to come to work out of fear of being three people in a truck,” said Christopher Ervin, a Baltimore City resident.
People talked about wanting specifics about when the weekly services would be back.
"What part of the plan when is the actual day for roll out day for every week, we've been hearing it probably about 6 to 8 months, its going to be every week, when will it happen?” said Bryant-Nickens.
This meeting comes days before DPW Director Jason Mitchell steps down. Announcing his decision back in January, Mitchell said his last day will be this Friday, April 28, after two councilmen sent him a letter demanding the return of weekly recycling.
The final draft of the 10-year solid waste plan highlights some barriers DPW faces with the recycling program, which include a shortage of workers and inconsistent collection.
DPW says it is still in the process of figuring out how to bring the weekly recycling back, including educating the public, updating equipment, and hiring more workers.
"Although we don't have a final solution right now, we are in the process of identifying and outlining better practice in how we are going to restore weekly recycling,” said Blair Adams, who is the DPW Director of Communications.
DPW says the Maryland Department of Environment and Baltimore City Council must approve the plan before it becomes official.
