Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) is cancelling the state’s Zero Waste plan, however, it’s not all a negative thing for our experts. In this story in Waste Dive reporter Cole Rosengren interviewed our own Neil Seldman and Brenda Platt on this development.… Read More
In the wake of scores of legislative action in Maryland, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s composting team saw a big victory with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s signature on two pieces of legislation that would enable a better infrastructure for organics recycling. Read the report from Cole Rosengren in Waste Dive.… Read More
On Thursday, May 4th, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed two bills to advance composting in Maryland. One will bolster recovery of food waste and other organic materials by expanding infrastructure in the state. The other will reduce contamination at compost sites by preventing the false labeling of plastics as compostable or biodegradable. In signing the bills, which were among dozens of environmental bills passed by the Maryland legislature in 2017, Governor Hogan thanked the state’s elected officials for the real bipartisan effort in passing laws to “protect our soil, our air, and our water… and grow the investment in jobs in our state.”
HB171/SB99, the “Yard Waste and Food Residuals Diversion and Infrastructure Act,” requires the Maryland Department of the Environment to study and report on existing compost manufacturing infrastructure in Maryland, as well as laws in other states that divert food scraps and organics, and to then recommend how to improve infrastructure and funding opportunities to expand composting in the Maryland. The bill requires the Department to consult with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, along with a number of ILSR’s allies including the MD-DC Compost Council, the American Biogas Council, the Maryland Horse Council, the Chesapeake Foodshed Network, the Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, and the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Council.… Read More
The first Earth Day in 1970 sparked not only the beginning of the environmental movement, but also the birth of the modern recycling movement. Today, recycling of paper, bottles, and cans is the norm, but food waste recovery remains paltry. Less than 5% of food thrown away is recovered. According to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), almost half of typical garbage could be converted into compost (Source: ILSR’s Infographic).… Read More
Composting protects the soil and climate while creating jobs. Learn how in our series of posters, available in a variety of formats for easy sharing and distribution. Each poster is available for your use (with attribution to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance) so you can educate your community about the benefits of composting. All posters are available … Read More
ILSR co-director and Waste to Wealth initiative director was interviewed on WEAA 88.9 FM’s March Steiner Show on March 2nd, 2017 to discuss food waste recovery.… Read More
In this episode, Christopher Mitchell, the director of ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks initiative, interviews Brenda Platt, ILSR co-director and director of our Waste to Wealth initiative. The two discuss the history of ILSR’s Zero Waste work and how the conversation around composting and waste has changed in her 30 years at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.… Read More
Brenda Platt, Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) co-director and director of ILSR’s Composting for Community initiative, was honored on Wednesday, January 25th, 2017, with the US Composting Council’s prestigious H. Clark Gregory Award, “for outstanding service to the composting industry through grassroots efforts.” The award came at the closing ceremony of the US Composting Council’s annual conference, this year held in Los Angeles.… Read More
With input from ILSR’s composting team, the Maryland legislature is looking into the passing a bill for improving the organics processing infrastructure. This article by Waste Dive‘s Cole Rosengren details our work and the future implications it will have for the state.… Read More
