Baltimore Recycling Coalition Records

The Maryland Recycling Act of 1988 required each of the state’s subdivisions to develop and implement programs for recycling of solid waste in Baltimore County and City. In response, the Citizen’s Planning & Housing Association (CPHA) formed a committee to involve citizens in the process of developing and implementing a recycling program. With grant funding from the W. Alton Jones Foundation in 1989, CPHA's committee evolved into a coalition to promote recycling of solid waste. The coalition was to be known as the Greater Baltimore Recycling Coalition, but by the time it was formally incorporated in late 1990, its efforts were largely limited to the city, and it was incorporated as the Baltimore Recycling Coalition. Even before incorporation, the coalition began publication of a periodic newsletter, The Baltimore Recycler.

In addition to support of the city’s drop-off recycling centers and curb-side recycling programs, the Baltimore Recycling Coalition worked to close down the existing system of solid waste incineration. The coalition opposed replacement of the Pulaski Highway Incinerator and other incinerators in the city, prompting the passage of a moratorium on incinerator construction within city limits in 1992. The Pulaski Highway facility was closed in 1995, leaving the Baltimore Refuse Resource Recovery (BRESCO) waste to energy facility as the city’s sole solid waste incinerator.