MAINE PUBLIC • December 5, 2024
After years of deliberations, Maine regulators have authorized a new program intended to make companies pay to get rid of packaging waste. The regulations approved by the Board of Environmental Protection require producers to reimburse towns and cities for the cost of getting rid of paper, cardboard and other materials. Environmental groups said the extended producer responsibility program will reduce local government costs and encourage companies to make less wasteful packaging. Maine was the first state in the U.S. to pass such a producer responsibility law in 2021. That was prompted by a flood of packaging that has overwhelmed municipal solid waste programs, according to Vanessa Berry, Sustainable Maine Program Manager at the Natural Resources Council of Maine.