For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 26, 2022

Montgomery County's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held its 23rd Annual Recycling Achievement Recognition ceremony today honoring 22 recipients for outstanding achievement in recycling, waste reduction and reuse. The online ceremony recognized individuals, multifamily properties, businesses, organizations and government facilities.

The winners were honored for their efforts to help the County toward reaching its goals of reducing waste and recycling more, aiming toward zero waste.

“Montgomery County recycles 58.94 percent of its solid waste—the highest recycling rate in Maryland.  It could not be done without the efforts of these awardees,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “In spite of the continuing pandemic, these recycling achievement award recipients continue to do the difficult, but necessary work. We hope that other members of the community will follow their lead.”

County DEP Acting Director Adriana Hochberg said the honorees are influencing others in increasing recycling.

“In Montgomery County, we offer opportunities for all kinds of materials to be recycled, from glass to electronics,” she said. “We greatly appreciate the robust and innovative recycling efforts of our residents, multi-family properties and businesses, as well as the service that our recycling volunteers provide to the community— helping their neighbors navigate the County’s recycling system. These awardees are helping Montgomery County move the needle forward in a major way.”

Many of the award winners were selected based on interactions with DEP Waste Reduction and Recycling staff.

A summary of the 2022 recycling achievement award winners:

Recycling Group of the Year

The “Recycling Group of the Year Award” is presented to volunteers who support DEP’s Recycling and Resource Management Division—Waste Reduction and Recycling Section and make a difference in their community.

The award recognizes a group of residents who work to get others to reuse and recycle. Recognition is based on their efforts to engage others in their community to increase participation in waste reduction and recycling programs and help achieve the County’s goal to reduce waste and recycle more, aiming for zero waste.

The 2022 winner is GO Green Earth throughout Montgomery County. GO Green Earth is a newly formed community group that connects Chinese American residents to resources provided by DEP Waste Reduction and Recycling staff. Over the past year, the group enrolled more than 100 County residents in DEP’s backyard food scraps composting project. Go Green Earth has tested two types of compost bins. GO Green Earth also has translated educational materials into Mandarin, hosted backyard composting training workshops and helped educate and troubleshoot using its WeChat group.

Multifamily Outstanding Efforts in Waste Reduction and Recycling

The “Multifamily Outstanding Efforts in Waste Reduction and Recycling Award” is presented to multi-family properties for their actions in developing, expanding or enhancing their waste reduction and recycling programs.

Three winners were selected in this category:

Multifamily Property Green Team Leader of the Year

“Multifamily Property Green Team Leader of the Year Awards” are presented to individuals who made a positive difference in their multi-family communities. They outpace the efforts of others by working diligently to encourage fellow residents to participate in waste reduction, reuse and recycling programs.

The two winners of these awards in 2022 were:

Multifamily Property Manager of The Year

The “Multifamily Property Manager of The Year Award” is presented to multi-family property management staff that help develop, expand or enhance the property’s waste reduction and recycling programs.

This year’s honoree is Tammie MacLaren, the property manager at Normandie on the Lake I in Montgomery Village. She ensures that items are diverted from the waste stream, repurposed and used again. Tammie gives residents a listing of local organizations where they can donate no longer needed items. Extra paint is donated to local high school theater clubs. Books and clothing are donated to reuse groups.  She created a color-coded system for recycling and trash containers to help residents use the right one. 

Business Outstanding Efforts in Waste Reduction and Recycling

“Business Outstanding Efforts in Waste Reduction and Recycling Awards” are presented to businesses that have been exemplary in developing, expanding or enhancing their waste reduction and recycling programs.

Six honorees were selected for 2022 awards:

Business Waste Reduction and Recycling Champion Awards

“Business Waste Reduction and Recycling Champion Awards” go to individuals who have made a positive difference in their workplace to keep and, air and water clean. Honorees have far exceeded the efforts of others to maintain a healthy environment on the job and worked to encourage others to participate in waste reduction and recycling. These individuals serve as examples for others to emulate.

“Commercial Recycling Partnerships” honor organizations that work with DEP’s Recycling and Resource Management Division—Waste Reduction and Recycling Section to increase recycling by separating pre-consumer food scraps from the waste stream and recycle them through the commercial food scraps recycling partnership program. 

The following seven businesses, organizations and government facilities joined the Commercial Food Scraps Recycling Partnership Program in 2021 and 2022:

For more information on the 2022 Recycling Achievement Awardees, visit the DEP website at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SWS/awards/.   

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