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DEP seeks recycling center upgrades and a countywide organics facility; $13M placeholder tied to site availability
Summary
Montgomery County DEP proposed a six‑year $38.4 million recycling and resource management CIP. DEP plans to expand the Shady Grove recycling complex and materials‑recovery facility (MRF) capacity from ~80 to 200–240 tons/day, advance Gooty and Oaks landfill remediation and plan a new organics processing facility; the committee approved the CIP to move forward.
The county’s Department of Environmental Protection outlined upgrades to recycling, landfill remediation and organics processing during the Transportation and Environment Committee meeting on Feb. 26.
Jennifer Macedonia, DEP director, said the recycling and resource management CIP totals $38.4 million over six years and includes a new $11 million program of short‑ and longer‑term work at the Shady Grove Transfer Station and a planned expansion of the Materials Recovery Facility. "We are looking to substantially increase the processing capacity of the facility from 80 tons per day to between 200–240 tons per day," Macedonia said.
DEP said those capacity upgrades would be funded partly through the solid waste disposal fund and by revenue bonds for construction and equipment. Jamie Foster, DEP’s project manager, told the committee the MRF is in a 60% basis‑of‑design phase and that equipment specifications and vendor selection are ongoing.
The CIP also carries Gooty Landfill remediation work (a final cap and groundwater mitigation) and Oaks Landfill leachate pretreatment retrofits. DEP said Oaks remains under post‑closure care and may require additional future work.
The new organics processing facility — a project council members pressed to advance — is currently budgeted with a $13 million placeholder. County officials tied the project’s timing and site options to broader solid‑waste decisions, including the incinerator’s status. Rich Harris from the Office of Management and Budget said the placeholder funding resides in the solid waste disposal fund and could be repurposed to another site if the preferred location is unavailable.
Councilmembers urged DEP to pursue alternatives if the Sugarloaf/Dickerson site is infeasible, to brief the full council on a comprehensive solid‑waste plan, and to continue public engagement; DEP said open houses and further briefings are scheduled. The committee advanced the recycling and resource management CIP without objection.
What happens next: DEP will continue MRF design work, evaluate organics facility siting alternatives and present a fuller operating‑budget impact and rate analysis when the executive transmits the FY27 operating budget.
