Maryland Environmental Service reports landfill plans, FY26 tipping fee and recycling program changes to Talbot County Council

Tim Ford, managing director for environmental operations at Maryland Environmental Service, and Gary Lasako, MES senior project manager for the Eastern Shore, briefed the Talbot County Council on Nov. 4 on landfill operations, recycling and transfer-station trends.

Key points announced by MES: • FY26 tipping fee: $71.50 per ton at the landfill; brush disposal fee set at $46.50 per ton. • A sewage leachate surcharge will begin Jan. 1, 2026 at $5 per ton (reduced from an earlier $15 proposal after county discussion). • Regulatory: the Midshore I landfill now qualifies under a new methane rule; landfill-gas collection was previously voluntary and the change affects the ability to claim voluntary carbon credits. • Capital and operations: MES is reserving funds for later replacement of a cap/membrane installed in 2016 (20-year warranty). MES reported that construction is underway on new cells and that planning is in place to provide landfill capacity through about 2042; a series 2025 revenue bond was sold for that work with a 3.62% interest rate. • Transfer station activity: recent rolling 12-month inbound trash totals were slightly above budgeted projections (about 41,000 tons/year), with a busy homeowner drop-off operation (approx. 24,000 visits in 12 months). • Recycling: MES described removing bins from Perry Cabin Park in July and redistributing them to locations nearer Easton, adding bins at St. Michael’s Market and increasing pickup frequency to address overflow concerns. For FY25 the multi-county recycling program reported roughly $1.1 million in revenue, $900,000 in expenses and about $200,000 net income; Talbot County’s share was cited as approximately $48,000 into county surplus plus $26,000 balance available for recycling activities.

Ford and Lasako answered council questions about site monitoring, collection frequency at redistribution sites (including Amish Market and St. Michael’s Market) and procedures for removing nonrecyclable material left at collection points.

No formal county ordinance or appropriation was enacted from the presentation; the briefing provided operational data and planned capital work.