Worcester County, MD Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section PH 1-106 defines litter as all rubbish, waste matter, refuse, garbage, trash, debris, dead animals or other discarded materials of every kind and description. Public or private property is defined broadly to include the right-of-way of any road or highway, any body of water or watercourse and its shores or beaches, any park, parking facility, playground, refuge, conservation or recreation area, any residential or farm properties, and timberlands or forests. The ban covers dumping through intent and through neglect, and it reaches anyone who causes or permits it.

Three exceptions apply: property designated by the county or another governmental agency for disposal where the person is authorized to use it; litter placed into a designated litter receptacle or container installed on the property; and litter placed in a container or bag in a specified location for pickup by a licensed solid waste hauler.

Subsection (c) sets presumptions. When litter is thrown or dumped from a motor vehicle, boat, airplane or other conveyance with two or more occupants and the violator cannot be identified, the owner is presumed responsible if present, and the operator if the owner is absent. A single accumulation holding two or more items bearing a person's name or other identification is prima facie evidence that the person deposited it.

Dumping can also be cited under the nuisance section, § PH 1-101(a), which covers placing, leaving or dumping rubbish, household trash or junk that causes a fire hazard or harbors vermin, foul or decaying matter in watercourses and ditches, and animal carcasses on land, roads or highways. The Subtitle applies only in the unincorporated areas and does not apply to any disposal site operated by the County Commissioners.