Montgomery County, Md., has set a 70% waste diversion rate goal by the end of 2020, County Executive Ike Leggett announced.

"Since Montgomery County began its innovative and progressive recycling programs almost four decades ago, the county has worked continuously to expand recycling opportunities and make it easier and more convenient for everyone in the county to recycle more items in larger quantities," he said in a statement. "However, we cannot simply rest on past successes. We must continue to build on our history of progressively forging ahead to accomplish even more in the area of recycling."

The county had an original goal of a 50% recycling rate, set nearly 20 years, a mark it is shy of obtaining. The county has a 44.4% recycling rate.

County officials said they plan to change the wording to a waste diversion rate in the coming year.