Why Buying Recycled Matters and How Baltimore County Is Leading the Way

In April 2025, Baltimore County, MD took a step toward sustainability by instituting a Buy Recycled and Environmentally Preferable Products and Services Policy. This initiative directs procurement agencies to prioritize recycled and eco-friendly products and services wherever possible.

The goal? Increase the County’s purchasing power, build stronger markets for recyclables, reduce landfill waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, promote energy conservation, create jobs, and more.

Listen in as Richard Keller, Recycling and Waste Prevention Manager for Baltimore County, shares a brief overview and history of the program as well as tips on how to get started in your jurisdiction. Download the Slide Deck here.

Stay as Rebecca Culler, Deputy Division Chief, Solid Waste, Maryland Environmental Service, facilitates a Q&A session where attendees shared ideas and got answers to their questions.

Webinar Highlights:

“If you’re not buying recycled, you’re not recycling.”

Why Buy Recycled? Local governments have great purchasing power which can influence the market for recycled materials by helping to create and sustain it. Buying recycled content also helps to protect the environment by conserving energy, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, reducing disposal costs, and contributing to job” creation and economic development.

Side note: when polled on what they believe is the most important reason to buy recycled, attendees choose "create markets" as the top reason, followed by "reduced disposal," "managing resources," "lowering greenhouse gas emissions," and "creating jobs and economic development."

Recycled Products Implementation Strategy: Keller introduced the "5 Pillars" approach to creating a sustainable program – see tips for getting started.

1. Look at your current purchases to determine current status and opportunities — Tip: Determine what you’re already doing and build from there. Also determine if the product or service is really needed for your operations.

    

2. Change your specifications to include recycled content and environmentally preferable (EP) requirements. — Tip: Research existing standards (see resources below); Include the language in all contracts specifying the highest practicable minimum level of recycled content.
   
   
3. Ensure that recycled and EP products are at the top of vendor product lists. — Tip: Require vendors to certify recycled and environmentally preferable standards.
   
   
4. Document the type and dollar volume of recycled and EP products. — Tip: Require vendors to provide information on dollar volumes of recycled and environmentally preferable purchases.
   
   
5. Train employees and vendors. — Tip: Include training opportunities for all levels including leadership, employees involved in purchasing, and vendors.

Recordkeeping and Evaluation: Solid documentation that accurately tracks your purchases (quantities, recycled content, dollar amounts, etc.) provides baseline data that you can share with your leadership, customers, employees, and the public to promote your successes. The data can be used to highlight how buying recycled products supports recycling, or how environmentally preferable products contribute to sustainability. It also helps you identify the next opportunities to explore.

The webinar ended with a Q&A session where attendees discussed the challenges in enforcing participation across decentralized departments, the importance of markets for recycled products, and the role of EPR programs. Other topics included paint specifications, accountability of vendors, and the relationship between recycled content product vs. recyclable products.

Buy Recycled Resources: 

Baltimore County MD Program to Buy Recycled and Environmentally Preferrable Products and Services

Maryland Department of General Services Green Purchasing Program for state agencies. — Provides guidance on specifications for a wide variety of products, approved vendors, and templates. 

EPA Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. — A search tool to help identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services. 

Baltimore County’s Public Works & Transportation Newsletter: The Resource, Nov 2025. — Articles on 50 years promoting buy recycled, reuse, food waste, and our sustainability challenge.

*This is a FREE webinar brought to you by Maryland Recycling Network. Have a topic you'd like to share or hear about? Send us an email.

**Not a member? Support the three Rs (Reduction, Reuse and Recycling) in Maryland by joining today!