Baltimore DPW to close Cherry Hill recycling center for facility upgrades

CBS News

16-05-2025

Baltimore City's Department of Public Works will close the Residential Recycling Drop-off Center at the Reedbird Sanitation Facility in South Baltimore's Cherry Hill neighborhood for upgrades on Saturday, May 17, DPW said.
The closure marks the start of a multi-year modernization project at the facility.
The renovation comes after a city inspector general's report last year revealed poor working conditions at the site, including inadequate cooling facilities for employees working in extreme heat.
The upgrade is expected to last between 18 and 24 months.
When completed, the facility will feature improved infrastructure and a new Recycling Drop-off Center with a separate public entrance.
Residents needing recycling services during the closure can use alternative city drop-off centers, DPW said. The Sisson Street and Quarantine Road locations are recommended for South Baltimore residents.
What improvements are planned?
Planned upgrades include renovated administrative and staff buildings, modernized recycling drop-off centers, and ADA-compliant restrooms.
The facilities will also receive EV charging stations and improved traffic flow systems.
During the renovation, the daily trash and recycling operations at the Cherry Hill yard will be relocated to DPW's Neiman Avenue facility.
The Reedbird project is part of a citywide initiative to modernize three of Baltimore's sanitation yards.
The $49 million investment aims to improve working conditions and operations, according to the department.
The funding includes $10 million for Reedbird Yard, $7.8 million for Kane Street Yard, and $31.1 million for Bowley's Lane Yard. An additional $3.2 million is dedicated to health and safety improvements across all three facilities.
"This relocation is temporary—but the long-term impact will be transformational," DPW Director Khalil Zaied said.
Why is DPW upgrading its facilities?
Complaints about working conditions, combined with the death of Ronald Silver II, a Baltimore DPW employee who died on the job because of extreme heat, led to increase scrutiny of the department.
In July 2024, Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Cumming released a report documenting problems at the Cherry Hill Reedbird Yard. The investigation found that DPW employees had been working in extreme heat without adequate water or proper cooling facilities.
After the inspection at the Cherry Hill Yard, Cummings found poor working conditions at eight other facilities.
Another report released in March alleged that DPW failed to mitigate a negative work culture, worker safety issues, and a poor morale that has persisted for the "last decade."