Waste Reduction & Recycling
Montgomery Parks cares about reducing waste and ensuring we divert materials from the landfill through recycling and reuse. Since 2016, we have maintained a diversion rate of over 60% with an annual diversion rate of 70%. The success of our waste management has not come without its challenges, and there are still many ways we can improve. A successful sustainable waste management strategy cannot solely rely on recycling but must focus on actions that reduce items entering the recycling and waste streams.
Recycling in our Parks:
Montgomery Parks’ recycling program supports the Montgomery County Climate Action Plan, reduces contamination in recycling, and helps keep parks clean and litter‑free.
Our recycling collection is focused on regional and recreational parks, where higher visitation and centralized amenities enable more effective management. This approach helps ensure that recyclable materials are properly sorted and can actually be recycled.
In recent years, high levels of contamination—when non‑recyclable items are placed in recycling bins—have made recycling less effective. By concentrating recycling in key locations, Montgomery Parks can improve the quality of recycled materials and better use staff resources. This allows park operations staff to focus countywide on trash collection and restroom maintenance while laying the groundwork to expand recycling efforts in the future.
In local, urban, and neighborhood parks, visitors are encouraged to “pack in, pack out” their recyclables—taking bottles, cans, and other recyclable items home or to dedicated recycling locations for proper disposal.
Recycling in Our Operations:
All Montgomery Parks buildings have dual stream recycling system to collect paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, steel/tin, and plastic. Additionally, we recycle scrap metal, motor fuel, tires, electronic waste, light bulbs, batteries, construction debris, concrete, and asphalt from our operations. In 2022, we diverted 81% of our waste.
Parks Green Waste Recycling Program:
Montgomery Parks manages a comprehensive tree care program, producing significant organic waste (green waste). This waste is Montgomery Parks runs an extensive Green Waste Management Program that processes organic material waste from parkland into valuable products like compost, mulch, wood chips, and milled wood. These products are returned to parkland for various projects, supporting sustainable park maintenance.
A key component is the sawmill operation, which reduces waste, cuts carbon emissions from material transport, and enhances a local wood economy. This aligns with the organization’s sustainability goals and the Montgomery County Climate Action Plan.
The first public Urban Wood Sale was held in November 2021 to sell surplus wood not used by the Parks Department and has since become an annual event. In 2024, 19,400 board feet of wood was sold, generating $34,724 in revenue. The sale offers unique milled lumber from trees removed from parkland, providing sustainable materials for community projects and contributing to the local economy.
Volunteer to Help Care for Our Parks!
Illegal dumping of large household trash and litter within the parks continues to be a challenge. Montgomery Parks maintenance staff work diligently to pick up trash, but we still need the help of our community to clean up our parks. We have a comprehensive Volunteer Watershed Clean-Up Program. Volunteers help keep trash out of our parks and from entering the local watershed.
Annually the clean-up volunteers:
- Donate nearly 80,000 hours of volunteer labor
- Collect 30,000 lbs of waste from parks and watersheds
- Remove and recycle approximately 100 tires illegally dumped on parkland