Subject
title
Montgomery County Long-Term Alternatives for the Disposal of Solid Waste
end
Department
PW - Environmental Management
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council receive a presentation from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MDCEP) regarding long-term alternatives for the disposal of solid waste. Following the presentation, the Mayor and Council may pose questions to MCDEP and provide feedback to staff on whether to submit a letter to the County Council.
Discussion
Background
Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP) will present long-term alternatives under consideration for the County’s solid waste disposal system. Under the current system, refuse is brought to the Shady Grove Transfer Station at 16101 Frederick Road, loaded onto rail cars, and transported to the Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) in Dickerson, where it is processed and used to generate electricity. The resulting ash is transported to Virginia, for potential reuse in concrete or other products or for disposal in a landfill.
The County’s contract for the waste-to-energy facility in Dickerson expires in April of 2031. The upcoming contract expiration provides an opportunity for the County to make significant long-term decisions regarding solid waste infrastructure, disposal, recycling, composting, and waste reduction.
Broadly, the County is considering two main paths, with variations for the timing of implementation:
• Continue Long-Term Use of the Resource Recovery Facility (RRF): Invest in repairing and upgrading the existing Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) at Dickerson for long-term operations and dispose of ash at a landfill; or
• Close the RRF and transition to long-haul transport of municipal solid waste to an out-of-state landfill: This option is recommended by the County Executive and may be combined with potential investments to advanced waste processing. AWP is a system that receives and sorts municipal solid waste to extract recycling and organic materials. It would be implemented in addition to the County’s existing recycling program, not as a replacement.
County Council Review
The County Council has scheduled a series of work sessions in September and October that are tentatively expected to address the following:
• September 15, 2026 <https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&clip_id=18865&meta_id=226918>: Review of long-term alternatives for the disposal of solid waste.
• September 29, 2026 <https://montgomerycountymd.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=169&event_id=16907&meta_id=227315>: The RRF operator’s (ReWorld) presentation on the current and potential future operations.
• October 13, 2026: Discussion of costs and rate assumptions, environmental, community impacts, and Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ).
• October 27, 2026: Continued discussions on this topic.
Additionally, general information on the alternatives resources is available on the County’s “Aiming for Zero Waste” website linked at:
<https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/department-environmental-protection/trash-recycling-yard-trim/waste-reduction-reuse-recycling-programs/aiming-zero-waste>
Potential Implications for Rockville
The County’s long-term solid waste decisions will affect the City of Rockville collection services, the Refuse enterprise fund, and potentially communities surrounding the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station. Operations at the Transfer Station would continue under either alternative; however, the cumulative operational, traffic, and infrastructure impacts on the Transfer Station have not been fully identified. Residents participating in the September 2nd County Community Meeting raised concerns about additional truck traffic, noise, odors and road impacts associated with expanded long-haul operations.
Unlike the County and many other jurisdictions that contract recycling and refuse collections, Rockville is the largest jurisdiction in the County to provide these essential services with internal staff. The City collects recycling, refuse and yard waste from more than 14,400 residential homes (single-family and townhomes) and provides special collections of bulk waste, electronics recycling, metal recycling, bulk brush, and seasonal leaf vacuuming. The City currently uses Montgomery County’s Shady Grove Transfer Station for processing and disposal of solid waste, bulk refuse, electronics, and yard waste. Any changes to the Transfer Stations operations or dump fees related to these functions would impact city operations and budget.
The County is also planning upgrades to their Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), also known as the Recycling Center, located at the Shady Grove Transfer Station. The City does not currently use the County’s MRF, because the County only accepts dual-stream recycling (separated cardboard/paper from commingled glass, plastic and metal). Instead, the City contracts recycling hauling to a private MRF to process its single-stream recycling. As the County considers future investments to recycling processing infrastructure, the potential inclusion of single-stream recycling processing technology into County infrastructure would significantly benefit City recycling operations by eliminating costs associated with the transfer, hauling and processing by private contractors.
Rockville Priorities
Rockville has previously communicated the City’s solid waste priorities to the Council. In a May 5, 2026, letter the Mayor and Council identified Rockville’s key priorities are to ensure reliable services, manage annual costs responsibly, meet municipal service needs-including refuse, recycling, bulk waste, and food and yard waste composting-and minimize impacts on communities near the Shady Grove Transfer Station (Attachment 1).
Rockville has also advocated for the County to incorporate recycling and food waste composting infrastructure that adequately meets the needs of municipalities during the County’s 2020 Solid Waste Management Plan process.
Mayor and Council History
This is the first time this item has been brought to the Mayor and Council.
Next Steps
To date, the County has not identified plans to hold a public hearing about this matter. However, the Mayor and Council may choose to provide additional comments to the County Council. Should the Mayor and Council decide to submit comments, the timing may align with the County Council’s scheduled work sessions on October 13th and 27th. The County Council President has requested the County Council express support for a particular approach by November so that the current County Executive and his successor can initiate the necessary planning, budget, and contractual work needed to implement the decision.