Maryland Senate unanimously passes bill to help state’s farmers tackle food waste
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 23, 2026
Contact:
Elizabeth Schroeder, elizabeth@fullcirclefuture.org
Bipartisan effort will create local jobs while keeping food out of the trash
Annapolis, MD – Today, the Maryland Senate voted 42-0 to pass the bipartisan On-Farm Organics Diversion and Recycling Grant Program (Senate Bill 599). Once implemented, the program will allocate $250,000 in annual grants to help Maryland farmers invest in composting infrastructure, equipment for food rescue and preservation, and additional support including training.
“Maryland is home to more than 12,000 farms, including urban farms, representing a clear opportunity to scale up solutions that keep wasted food out of landfills,” says Sophia Jones, Associate Director for Policy and Advocacy at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “This grant program will help make wasted food reduction and composting more affordable and accessible to farmers, resulting in greater local food security, sustainable green jobs, and climate resiliency. I urge Maryland lawmakers to build on this momentum to expand grant eligibility to other sectors like schools and local government — the opportunities are endless.”
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tons of food are landfilled or incinerated in Maryland — much of it still perfectly safe for consumption — while one in six Maryland children experiences food insecurity. According to the U.S. EPA, wasted food costs the average U.S. household nearly $3,000 a year.
“Burying food waste in landfills is bad for people, our planet, and our wallets,” says Lee Helfend, Director of Campaign Strategy at Full Circle Future. “The Maryland legislature has taken an important step toward breaking a harmful and inefficient cycle and building a waste management system that works for everyone.”
The program will also make a significant dent in methane emissions from landfilled food waste. When organic waste is buried in a landfill, it immediately begins generating methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas and major driver of climate change. In 2023, Maryland’s 48 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills emitted methane equivalent to 720,500 cars on the road.
In addition to methane, landfills and waste incinerators generate air and water pollution associated with serious health risks like asthma, heart disease, and cancer. In Maryland, more than 3 million people live within three miles of an MSW landfill, facing increased exposure to toxins like benzene, toluene, and sulfur dioxide.
“Keeping trash out of landfills means protecting communities from the kind of noxious pollution that nobody should have to live with,” says Walkiria Pool, President and Founder of Centro de Apoyo Familiar (CAF). “In addition to its many economic and climate benefits, this program will deliver cleaner air to the millions of Maryland residents who have a landfill for a neighbor.”
On March 12, the House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed their own version of the bill (House Bill 429). The bill now faces a final vote in both chambers before going to Governor Wes Moore’s desk for signature.
HB429 and SB599 build on Maryland’s food waste momentum, including a 2021 law requiring food waste generators to keep food waste out of landfills and incinerators and a 2023 law that expanded farms’ ability to compost food scraps.
“Maryland is emerging as a national leader when it comes to sustainable, regenerative waste management,” says Emily Ranson, Chesapeake Regional Director at Clean Water Action. “We’re showing that high-impact food waste solutions are highly achievable and in demand.”
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