WIN Waste Innovations To Operate 8 Recycling Drop-Off Centers In Baltimore, Officials Say
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- WIN Waste Innovations will staff and operate eight recycling drop-off centers in Baltimore as the Department of Public Works remains on a bi-weekly schedule for collection, city officials said Monday.
Starting Tuesday, the company will run the centers Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The drop-off locations will serve communities on the weeks they are not scheduled to have their recycling picked up.
Meaning on "A Weeks," when DPW crews are collecting recycling in neighborhoods north of North Avenue, the centers will be open in Southeast and Southwest Baltimore. On "B Weeks," when recycling is being picked up in the southern neighborhoods, the centers will be open above North Avenue.
The first "B Week" begins Tuesday.
The following locations are open on "B Weeks":
- Hamilton Elementary School, 6101 Old Harford Road (the back parking lot, accessible via Christopher Avenue or Sylvan Avenue)
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, 3750 Greenspring Ave. (cul-de-sac in front of the building)
- William S. Baer School, 2001 N. Warwick Ave. (parking lot in front of the school)
- Mergenthaler ("Mervo") High School, 3500 Hillen Road (the back parking lot, accessible via the 3500 block of Tivoly Avenue)
The following locations are open on "A Weeks":
- DPW Property Management Facility, 115 S. Kresson St.
- DPW Maritime Operations Facility, 3311 Eastbourne Ave. (in front of the building)
- Westside Skills Center, 4501 Edmondson Ave. (parking lot, accessible via Athol Avenue)
- Digital Harbor High School, 1100 Covington St. (parking lot next to the school, accessible via Covington Street)
The recyclables will be taken to World Recycling in Baltimore for processing, the company said.
DPW also operates drop-off locations Monday-Saturday:
- Northwest Transfer Station, 5030 Reisterstown Road
- Quarantine Road Landfill, 6100 Quarantine Road
- Northwest Residential Drop-off Center, 2840 Sisson St.
- Southwestern Residential Drop-off Center, 701 Reedbird Ave.
- Eastern Residential Drop-off Center, 6101 Bowleys Lane
DPW opted for the new schedule for recycling collection following weeks of service disruptions due to a rise in COVID-19 cases among staff.
"This change to bi-weekly recycling collections will help the Department manage for the long-term. These modifications are essential to stabilize operations and ensure consistent, predictable, and sustainable services for residents," said Director Jason W. Mitchell.
In a statement, Mayor Brandon Scott said Monday the city is trying to maintain its sustainable practices in the face of the staffing shortages.
"We are drawing upon every available resource, including our private-sector partners, to ensure we provide the residents of Baltimore with essential public services and promote responsible waste management policies," he said.
WIN Waste Innovations, formerly known Wheelabrator Technologies, operates the BRESCO incinerator in South Baltimore, the subject of protests from residents who said pollution from the facility leads to health issues.
The Baltimore City Council passed a bill, signed into law by then-Mayor Catherine Pugh, that would have implemented stricter pollution standards on two incinerators in the city. The company sued in April 2019, saying the law, known as the Baltimore Clean Air Act, is illegal and conflicts with existing state and federal requirements.
In September 2020, Wheelabrator stepped in to help with recycling collection in the city, which was also disrupted by the pandemic.
Two months later, then-Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young agreed to a new contract with Wheelabrator.
After coming out against the incinerator during the 2020 primary election, Scott, then serving as city council president, said the incinerator would likely continue to burn trash other clients even if the city took its trash elsewhere.
"Our city has never fully invested in the infrastructure and education required for a successful transition to zero waste," Scott said in a Twitter thread. "85% of people in our city don't regularly recycle. We have a lot of work to do and there is no quick fix."
