How the Worcester County landfill operates during the holidays
WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – Holiday preparations don’t stop at public services. WMDT’s Ronnell Foreman got the chance to tour the central landfill in Newark.
They are gearing up ahead of holiday trash., as the landfill continues to church out all the waste. And the man behind the scenes making it operate is Bob Keenan, the recycle coordinator for Worcester County.
“I’d like to thank the citizens of Worcester County, because they have been very diligent in their recycling efforts, and our recycling rate for this year has gone up from 37.52% up from 30.95 last year.”
Considered a win for the county, it shows that the county recycling rate is important. Keenan is very particular in what goes in and out of the waste. The state mandate needed Worcester County to be at 20%. The county in 2024 exceeded that and then some.
During the winter months, partnerships really allow for the landfill to thrive. Their relationship with Shells Recycling Alliance allows for people to recycle oyster shells.
“For every shell that is recycled, 10 new oysters attach to each one when they are replanted in the bay,” said Keenan.
Tylesia Lewis works at the Snow Hill Transfer station. She said the tight-knit community makes the collection site wholesome. At the location, a drop-off for clothes donations.
This is in partnership with Helpsy. “There are a lot of people who do drop off clothing and send them off to Worcester County and Wicomico County,” said Lewis.
And starting soon, residents can drop-off Christmas trees at the landfill. Worcester Commissioners still need to sign the bill, in an upcoming meeting. The county will make an official announcement.
Bob Keenan also mentioned that they are having issues with illegal dumpings at their Bishopville and Walmart recycling collection center. The dumpings have reached 18 tons worth of estimated weight.
Keenan says that they have new cameras that are on these locations to keep things safe.
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