Aiming For Zero Waste

The County is currently undertaking a robust analysis of alternative options for solid waste materials management and developing a number of expanded and new recycling and waste diversion programs. The analysis will quantify and compare the lifecycle costs, as well as qualitative advantages (benefits and opportunities) and disadvantages (including constraints/limitations and risks) associated with each of the operational options being considered; and document the assumptions and data on which the analysis is based.

The County awarded a contract task order to a national engineering firm, Arcadis, to conduct this independent and comprehensive analysis of viable options for the County’s solid waste management system. We are acutely aware of the April 2026 planned closure of the incinerator and the need to ensure that this analysis is completed timely. The final task order (PDF) was awarded on November 16 and includes a focus on analyzing the potential implementation of impact of technologies designed to reduce the residual waste that would need to be disposed of. This focus is an essential component of creating a plan forward for modernizing our solid waste management system to be more efficient and environmentally responsible. In brief, we needed to assume something other than a status quo system going forward.

The County has also engaged the services of Barton & Loguidice (B&L) to provide enhanced project implementation and management support. The program of projects that will be required to transform the County’s current solid waste system from the status quo to the system of the future will require resources not available to the County without this staff augmentation contract support. B&L and the County project management team will work together to transition the roadmap that will be identified through the Arcadis analysis and turn the roadmap into an actionable and aggressive implementation plan; and to implement that plan. We have engaged B&L to provide this enhanced level of project implementation support through calendar year 2026.

This analysis will provide the County key information needed to make informed, data-driven decisions as it develops and implements the County’s solid waste management system for the next 20-30 years. The analysis will provide a clear understanding of financial costs, environmental and public health impacts, racial and social justice implications, facility impacts, and operational concerns.

Specifically, the analysis will:

1. Identify viable alternative solid waste processing technologies in operation in other parts of the County that have both a demonstrated successful track record of being effective in diverting materials from residual waste and that are adaptable to the County’s waste processing system. This will also include a cost-benefit analysis of the technology.
2. Provide the County alternative waste processing systems – essentially combinations of the viable processing technologies identified above – from which the County will be able to select a preferred alternative system. This will include a comprehensive analysis of costs, benefits, and impacts of each alternative system processing system and “end-of-life” disposal methods (i.e., disposal of residual materials ultimately left in the waste stream following implementation of all diversion programs and technologies).
3. Result in the issuance of a request for proposals to implement and operate the selected technologies to maximize solid waste diversion and move the County forward on a path Aiming for Zero Waste.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently awarded a task order to a national engineering firm, Arcadis, to conduct the comprehensive analysis of enhanced solid waste processing technologies. Arcadis brings a proven track record of assisting jurisdictions across the country in making locally based decisions based on current technology advancements and factors specific to each jurisdiction’s solid waste system and objectives.

The results of the Arcadis analysis will be shared with County officials, legislators, stakeholder groups and other interested parties. As noted above, Arcadis bring a proven track record of assisting jurisdictions across the country in making locally based decisions based on current technology advancements and factors specific to each jurisdiction’s solid waste system and objectives, as well as expertise in conducting economic and alternatives analyses to assist in the decision-making.

In addition to providing a foundation for decision-making on the future of the County’s solid waste management system, the analysis will be used to inform budget and resource planning, and procurement strategy and solicitations, and as the foundation for changes required to the County’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan that will be required to be approved by the County Council prior to submission to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

Background: Extension of the Resource Recovery Facility and Transfer Station Operations Service Agreement 

An emergency extension (pursuant to COMAR 14.13.01.12) of the Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) and Transfer Station (TS) Service Agreement is necessary because no other processing and disposal methods for municipal solid waste (MSW), including any alternative technology systems or facility modifications currently under evaluation by the County, will be in place by April 2026, which is the current termination date of the Service Agreement for operating the facilities.  

Montgomery County (County), led by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (the Authority) recently reached an agreement in principle to negotiate a short-term extension of the current Service Agreement with Reworld Montgomery for continued operations of the County’s RRF and TS for the acceptance, transfer, processing, and disposal of MSW generated in the County.

County Council and the County Executive received a Notice of Intent from the Authority on November 25, 2024. Within 120 days of this formal notice, the County Council can approve or object to the extension of the Service Agreement and notify the Authority. A public hearing is required in order for County Council to object to the extension. If there is no objection to the extension after 120 days, the notice is deemed accepted.

What is the Montgomery County Resource Recovery Facility and Where is it Located?

The RRF processes waste using mass burn technology to reduce waste and produce electricity. Reworld Montgomery, Inc. runs the facility for the County and the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (NMWDA). The facility is in Dickerson, Maryland, on 34 acres next to the former GenOn Dickerson power station. It has three furnaces that burn 600 tons of waste per day, producing steam that powers a turbine to generate 63 megawatts of electricity. NMWDA funded the construction of the facility and paid off the loans in 2016. It also manages the contract with Reworld Montgomery for the operation of the facility and related services. The County has an agreement with NMWDA for waste disposal and service fees. The facility is currently in the second 5-year contract extension, which ends in April 2026. MCRRF started in August 1995 and processes about 1,800 tons of waste each day.

Why is Montgomery County extending the RRF, and not closing the facility in 2026?

The County is evaluating and implementing alternative waste processing technologies and systems that will reduce the remaining total volume of waste for disposal. Once an alternative waste processing system is implemented, the County plans to close the County’s RRF.  However, because this transition cannot be fully implemented before the current solid waste processing contract expires in April 2026, Montgomery County will continue to rely on the County’s RRF and TS to manage waste until those systems are operational.

How Long is the Extension? And when will Montgomery County Close the RRF?

The County is working toward closing the RRF as soon as practicable, and alternative MSW processing technologies and systems are currently under evaluation and procurement processes by the County.

The current Service Agreement with Reworld is being extended to April 1, 2031, with the County retaining the option for early termination. The County plans to implement an alternative MSW processing technology and system as quickly as possible during the extension period. The objective and purpose of these system changes are to modernize the County’s materials management system, increase waste diversion and recycling, and transition away from incineration.  The associated changes to the overall solid waste management system to comply with state regulatory requirements will be reflected appropriately in amendments to the County’s Solid Waste Management Plan, which is reviewed and approved by the County Council and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).

How much will the extension cost?

Certain investments in the RRF need to be made to continue the facility's safe and regulatory-compliant operations. Investments in the TS also need to be made to continue the facility's operational functionality and transfer capacity. The County, in conjunction with the Authority, is in the process of determining the timing, financing options, and anticipated ratepayer impacts for these projects.

Why is the County spending money on a facility it is planning to shut down?

Certain investments must be made to continue the safe and regulatory compliant operations of the RRF during the short-term extension. There are also investments in the TS that need to be made to continue the operational functionality and transfer capacity of the facility.

What about the Transfer Station?

The extension of the Service Agreement with Reworld will extend operations at both the RRF and TS.

Contact us at [email protected] for an accessible version of the timeline.

Download a PDF of the Resource Recovery Facility and Shady Grove Transfer Station Operational Scenario Timeline

To achieve the goals set forth for the AZW initiative, there are multiple projects and changes the County is assessing and planning to implement in the future, including the following:

• Enhanced Organics Collection and Processing, including County-wide residential food scraps collection
• Save-as-You-Throw program
• Enhanced Mixed Waste Processing Technologies, designed to reduce the residual waste that must be disposed through landfilling or other means

Information regarding AZW projects and related analyses and reports can be found here:

• Save as You Throw for Montgomery County, Maryland: Feasability Assessment and Implementation Plan (PDF)
• Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) Shady Grove Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Processing Facility and Transfer Station Adaptation; REOI# 1166232; issued January 26, 2024
• Record of Meeting (PDF); MSW Management System Analysis – December 13, 2023, Stakeholder Meeting
• Montgomery County Organics Management Plan and Siting Study - Draft Final March 2024 (PDF)
• Aiming for Zero Waste Baseline Review and Current State Assesment (PDF)
• Aiming for Zero Waste Task Force Recommendations (PDF)