Next Wednesday (4/22 - Earth Day!) at 6PM, the Baltimore City Board of Estimates is holding its annual public hearing on next year’s budget: Taxpayers’ Night! As a result of our advocacy in the budget last year, this year’s budget proposal includes a key funding element for Zero Waste progress, but there’s much more to do. Join us there to testify that the City needs to invest in Zero Waste!
At Taxpayers’ Night, the Board of Estimates members (Mayor Scott, Council President Cohen, Comptroller Henry, DPW Director Garbark, and City Solicitor Thompson) will hear testimony from the public on Mayor Scott’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for Baltimore City, before voting on it and sending it to the City Council. For the past several years, we’ve been working with partners in South Baltimore and across the City to call for investment in Zero Waste programs and infrastructure, but the City’s investment has lagged behind what the Less Waste Better Baltimore plan called for. (Read our testimony with South Baltimore Community Land Trust on last year’s budget here.)
This year’s proposed budget makes real progress in response to our demands in the past several years, but there’s much more work to do. Join us at Taxpayers’ Night to testify about:
- Yard waste composting. The budget proposal includes 15 new staff positions to begin collecting residential yard waste for composting - right now, all of our yard waste goes to BRESCO to be incinerated. This is a huge victory that we advocated for last year, and we should celebrate it! Now, we need to make sure all of the equipment and support is included to make this program a success.
- More Zero Waste programming. The budget proposal decreases the overall solid waste budget by about $7 million compared to the last budget. The Less Waste Better Baltimore plan and the 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan outline all kinds of Zero Waste programs the City hasn’t invested in yet - we need to see those funds rededicated toward new reuse programs, improved recycling education, infrastructure development, and much more.
- Compost facility investment. DPW requested $3 million in capital funding this year to complete the city’s first residential composting facility at the future Eastside Transfer Station, but that funding isn’t included in the proposed budget. We need to understand why, and get this project fully funded to be built quickly.
- Transparency in planning. The capital budget includes funding for a project called, at different times, “Long Haul Waste Diversion” or just a “Waste Diversion Facility,” but there has been no public process yet for determining what that facility would be. We need to see real Zero Waste development - speak out for funding the further compost facilities, recycling facilities, and construction and demolition material recovery facility that City plans call for.
Speak out! Sign up to testify on Wednesday 4/22 at 6PM (in person at City Hall or virtually) to call for more progress on Zero Waste.
