Howard County, MD Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)

Howard County Code Sec. 610 defines recyclable material as any solid waste separated from the trash stream for collection and return to the marketplace, including paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, and anything else covered by the County's recycling program. Once that material is set out at curbside or another pickup location under the County's recycling collection program, an individual may not remove it or cause it to be removed. The only exceptions are a law enforcement official conducting a search or seizure, and a County employee, contractor, or other person the County has actually authorized to collect recyclables.

That means scavenging bins for cans or scrap metal before the truck arrives is a violation even if the material would otherwise be considered abandoned. The County built enforcement into the same section: both the Howard County Police Department and Department of Public Works employees the Director designates as enforcement personnel can issue civil citations directly. A first offense is a Class C offense and a subsequent offense is a Class B offense under the County's Title 24 civil penalty schedule, so a repeat violator faces a materially higher fine than a first-timer.

The rule sits in Subtitle 6A of Title 18 alongside separate recycling mandates for apartments and condominiums with ten or more units (Sec. 611), special events expecting 200 or more attendees (Sec. 612), and office buildings (Sec. 613), each enforced with its own civil penalty and inspection authority under the County's Solid Waste Management Plan.