Maryland Recycling Network

What Maryland Recycling Network does

Maryland Recycling Network (MRN) is a Maryland-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1992 that operates as the statewide umbrella for the recycling community in Maryland. MRN convenes county and municipal recycling coordinators, state agencies (notably the Maryland Department of the Environment), nonprofit environmental organizations, recycling industry suppliers, and individual citizens/activists under a single coalition to promote the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). Its core members include organizations such as Baltimore County Department of Public Works, the City of Laurel, Washington County, Maryland Environmental Service, Waste Management, PaintCare, and Circular Action Alliance. The organization provides member services including an annual MRN/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference (drawing 185+ recycling and solid waste professionals), a free educational webinar series, facility tours, an online resource library, member awards, and legislative advocacy services. MRN's substantive work is policy-oriented: it tracks and provides testimony on hundreds of bills per Maryland General Assembly session and played a central role in passing Maryland's landmark Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging law (SB 901, 2025), re-establishing the Commission to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Safety, and advancing paint, mattress, and food-waste diversion legislation.

MRN's business model is membership dues-driven with seven tiered annual subscriptions: Citizen Supporter ($25/yr), Individual/Associate ($75/yr), Non-Profit Agency ($75/yr), Government Agency ($175/yr), Business ($250/yr), Sustaining ($500/yr), and Patron ($1,000/yr). Higher tiers include member-rate event access for up to 10 employees, newsletter/website visibility, and feature spotlights. Revenue is supplemented by annual conference fees, corporate sponsorships (Waste Management is a Gold Sponsor; PaintCare and CAA have sponsored), and tax-deductible donations. Distribution is primarily self-serve through the ClubExpress-hosted website (marylandrecyclingnetwork.org) for membership sign-ups, donations, and webinar registration, complemented by direct in-person engagement at the annual conference and facility tours. There is no technology platform product, no AI capability, no API, and no proprietary software; MRN's primary digital assets are its website, email newsletter, and webinar archive. The organization is led by Executive Director Peter Houstle (since 2007) and a Board of Directors headed by Chairman Bob Stumpff, with Michele Blair elected President for 2026-2027 succeeding Kitty McIlroy. MRN's operations are statewide in Maryland with no disclosed geographic expansion plans.

Name

Maryland Recycling Network

Legal name

Maryland Recycling Network

Website

https://marylandrecyclingnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maryland Recycling Network is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1992 that convenes government recycling professionals, agencies, suppliers, nonprofits, and citizens statewide to promote recycling through education, an annual conference, and legislative advocacy in Maryland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling Advocacy and Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Stream MRF Operations (Residential Curbside Sorting) (BPALADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Single-Stream MRFs (Residential Curbside) (EUAIADAA)

Keywords

• Recycling advocacy
• Environmental education
• Legislative advocacy
• Waste management
• Nonprofit association

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MRN generates revenue primarily through tiered annual membership dues. Membership categories include Citizen Supporter ($25/yr), Individual/Associate ($75/yr), Non-Profit Agency ($75/yr), Government Agency ($175/yr), Business ($250/yr), Sustaining ($500/yr), and Patron ($1,000/yr). Dues are described as tax-deductible as a charitable or business expense.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maryland Recycling Network (MRN) is a statewide nonprofit membership organization that provides education, networking, and legislative/regulatory advocacy to promote the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) across Maryland. It sells tiered annual memberships to government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals; operates the annual MRN/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference, a recurring free webinar series, and facility tours; and engages in direct legislative advocacy on recycling bills in the Maryland General Assembly.

Product overview

Maryland Recycling Network (MRN) is a non-profit membership organization, not a technology product company. It operates as a network connecting recycling professionals across Maryland through membership services, annual conferences, educational webinars, and legislative advocacy. The organization does not offer software products or technology platforms but provides member services including Government Agency, Business, Sustaining, and Patron memberships at various price points. Core activities include annual conferences (such as the MRN/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference), educational webinars on recycling topics, legislative advocacy on Maryland recycling bills, and recycling awards recognition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MRN Membership Program Tiered annual membership program providing government agencies, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals with access to conferences, workshops, facility tours, webinars, email updates, resource library, and legislative intelligence on Maryland recycling policy.
• MRN/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Annual Conference Flagship annual in-person conference co-hosted with the SWANA Mid-Atlantic Chapter, providing education sessions, exhibitions, networking, and award presentations for recycling and solid waste professionals across the Mid-Atlantic region.
• MRN Webinar Series Free recurring educational webinars covering recycling behavior, safety, food waste prevention, battery collection, textile recycling, recycling markets, and Maryland legislative updates, with archived recordings and slide decks available to members.
• Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy Bill-tracking, written and oral testimony to the Maryland General Assembly, and coalition-building on recycling legislation including Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, lithium-ion battery safety, mattress stewardship, paint stewardship, and on-farm organics grant programs.
• Recycling Awards Program Annual recognition program honoring outstanding achievements in Maryland recycling, including the Extraordinary Achievement Award and the Dwight Copenhaver Recycler of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the annual conference.

Quantifiable outcome

• MRN helped pass Maryland's landmark EPR for Packaging law (SB 901), making Maryland the sixth state to enact such legislation, shifting recycling cost responsibility to producers.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SWANA Mid-Atlantic ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMRN co-hosts the annual MRN/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference with the SWANA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Committee. This is MRN's flagship annual event, drawing 185+ recycling and solid waste professionals. Both organizations collaborate on program design, speakers, and event execution.
• Waste Management (WM)coreOthersWaste Management serves as MRN's Patron Member (highest tier) and a Gold Sponsor of the annual MRN/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference. WM is one of the largest recycling and waste management companies and provides significant financial and visibility support to MRN's programs.
• PaintCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaintCare is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary of the American Coatings Association that designs and operates manufacturer-led paint recycling programs. MRN has partnered with PaintCare on webinars, conference sessions, and advocacy for Maryland's statewide paint recycling program launching in 2026. MRN has featured PaintCare as a Silver Sponsor at its annual conferences.
• Circular Action AlliancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCircular Action Alliance (CAA), the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) for packaging EPR in multiple states, is listed as a Sustaining Member of MRN. CAA also appears as a Bronze Sponsor at MRN conferences. As Maryland's EPR for packaging law moves toward implementation, CAA is a key stakeholder partner.
• Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority (NMWDA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNMWDA is listed as a Sustaining Member and has sponsored MRN conferences. NMWDA works on waste disposal and recycling infrastructure in the Maryland region.
• MSW ConsultantsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMSW Consultants is listed as a Sustaining Member of MRN, supporting the organization's mission financially while gaining visibility within the Maryland recycling community.
• Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMRN works closely with MDE on legislative advocacy, the Commission to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Safety, EPR packaging implementation, and the statewide PaintCare rollout. MDE Secretary Serena McIlwain has spoken at MRN conferences. MRN also sponsored MDE's Rethink Recycling Sculpture Contest.
• Healthcare Waste Institute (HWI) / National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMRN Board Member Kitty McIlroy and MDE's Shannon McDonald joined as panelists at the joint HWI/NWRA Summer Summit in Washington, D.C., discussing emerging healthcare waste challenges.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• US Composting Council: The US Composting Council is a national nonprofit advancing composting and organics recycling. MRN's increasing focus on organics/wasted food diversion (a recently passed MD bill) makes the Council an adjacent peer for program design and advocacy benchmarking.
• Resource Recycling: Resource Recycling is the leading independent publisher and conference organizer covering the North American recycling industry. It overlaps with MRN's education and convening mission through its annual conferences and policy-focused journalism.
• Container Recycling Institute: Container Recycling Institute is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focused on beverage container recycling and EPR policy. It is a partial-overlap peer given MRN's leadership on Maryland's packaging EPR law.

Direct peers

• Northeast Recycling Council (NERC): NERC is a multi-state nonprofit coalition that promotes recycling and sustainable materials management across the Northeastern U.S. It mirrors MRN's model of state-level coordination, legislative advocacy, and stakeholder convening but at a regional scale.
• Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA): SWANA is the largest professional association for solid waste and recycling professionals in North America. MRN co-hosts its flagship annual conference with SWANA's Mid-Atlantic Chapter, making it the closest functional peer in membership, advocacy, and event delivery.
• New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse & Recycling (NYSAR3): NYSAR3 is the closest state-level parallel to MRN — a nonprofit coalition supporting New York's recycling professionals, agencies, and advocates through conferences, awards, and policy advocacy. It shares MRN's exact member segments and operating model.
• Product Stewardship Institute (PSI): PSI is a nonprofit that promotes producer responsibility and product stewardship policies across states. MRN and PSI operate in adjacent advocacy lanes — particularly on paint, mattress, battery, and packaging stewardship — and have overlapping membership with state recycling coalitions.
• Pennsylvania Recycling Coalition (PRC): PRC is the statewide nonprofit coalition advancing recycling in Pennsylvania through education, conferences, and legislative engagement. It is structurally analogous to MRN and serves as a natural peer for benchmarking membership, advocacy, and event programs.

Broad incumbents

• National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA): NWRA is the national trade association representing private-sector waste, recycling, and sustainability companies. MRN's Board members participate in NWRA's Healthcare Waste Institute events, and the two organizations serve overlapping but differently structured constituencies.

Regional players

• California Recycling Coalition: CalRecycle is California's state agency overseeing recycling and waste reduction, functioning as the equivalent state-level hub for stakeholders. While government-run rather than a nonprofit coalition, it is MRN's functional equivalent on a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maryland-recycling-network
• Xx.com/MDRecyclers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maryland Recycling Network