The Maryland Senate Committee on Education, Health, & Environmental Affairs held a hearing on Senate Bill 280, Nonwoven Disposable Products – Advertising and Labeling, on February 14.  The bill is modeled on the first “wipes legislation” in the country, the District of Columbia’s Nonwoven Disposable Products Act of 2016.   Both the DC bill and the Maryland bill address flushability standards for flushable wipes, and “Do not flush” labeling for non-flushable wipes.     

NACWA provided testimony during the hearing, along with NACWA member agency the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) and the Chesapeake Bay Commission.  NACWA member agencies the Baltimore City Department of Public Works and the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works submitted written testimony.  INDA, the trade association of the nonwoven fabrics industry, provided testimony opposing the bill. A hearing in the Maryland House of Delegates is scheduled for March 15.  NACWA will be tracking this legislation, and working with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Maryland Association of Municipal Wastewater Agencies, and the Chesapeake Water Environment Association to support this legislation.