Recycling is cost effective and friendly to the environment. About 80,000 tons of material are recycled by Baltimore County residents each year. Baltimore County has curbside collection for mixed paper, bottles and cans and yard waste. All of the mixed paper and bottles and cans that are picked up by collectors are taken to BCRRF (Baltimore County Resource Recovery Facility) where they are sorted and marketed. The materials are then broken down and used to make new things. One way recycled plastics can be used is to build playground equipment for parks and schools.
Baltimore Refuse Energy Systems Company (BRESCO - Now known as Wheelabrator)
BRESCO is a waste-to-energy plant in downtown Baltimore that uses trash as a fuel to make steam. Incoming trucks dump waste into a large pit. The trash is then recycled into energy. A high pressure steam is recovered in the process and it is used for heating or summer cooling (using chillers) in downtown Baltimore. This process reduces the volume of incoming garbage by 90 percent.
Eastern Sanitary Landfill (ESL)
Do you know the difference between a sanitary landfill and a dump? You may think they are the same, but there is a big difference between the two. Dumps, much more common many years ago, are uncovered, unlined areas where people "dump" their trash. Dumps gave off a smelly odor, attracted many unwanted bugs and animals, and polluted the environment. Today's sanitary landfills are designed to protect our environment and people. Years of preparation go into building a landfill. It is a very complex operation. ESL is located on Days Cove Road in the White Marsh area.
This is a bathtub model used to show how a sanitary landfill works.
Revised April 3, 2008
Courthouse 