Waste Around the World: Baltimore, USA

Baltimore City has long-standing challenges with trash in neighborhoods and waterways caused by littering, illegal dumping, and improper trash storage. The City???s Department of Public Works collects trash and recycling from around 210,000 households throughout the City each week. Unfortunately, some residents would place their trash out for collection in a bag, rather than a sturdy trash can with a lid. The lack of proper sanitation habits leads to trash spillage, illegal dumping, increased rodent populations, and the overall perception of a dirty city.

During a pilot program that began in June of 2014, the City provided 9,250 residences with a municipal trash can and a recycling bin. Each of these durable trash cans came with an attached lid, two wheels and a handle for easy movement, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag to assign each can to an address. Collection trucks were retro-fitted to enable them to mechanically lift the cans. This pilot showed that providing residents with trash cans helped to improve proper waste management, leading to a reduction in rats and an improvement in neighborhood cleanliness.

The Department of Public Works began implementation of the Municipal Trash Can Program in March of 2016, distributing cans to the other 200,000 City households and some small businesses. In addition, residents who had old trash cans were encouraged to convert them into recycling bins. Municipal Trash Cans are an important innovation for Baltimore. It has been shown to make City trash collection more effective, keep our streets and alleys cleaner, and reduce evidence of vermin.