MORNING SENTINEL • July 26, 2022
There are 328 redemption centers in Maine licensed by the state, a number that’s down by 40 from two years ago. Maine’s “bottle bill” program began in 1978 as the result of a citizen initiative meant to curtail the number of soda and other bottles sprinkled along roadways. A person today receives 5 cents for every bottle that’s turned in for recycling. Maine is one of 10 states with a bottle program. “Costs for everything — staff, bags — has gone up, and the handling fee has not increased,” said Scott Wilson, manager of the Beverage Container Redemption Program at DEP.