Update: LD 2091 was signed into law on March 6, 2024
News release
When Castine business owner Kate Pilotte wanted to offer her meal kit customers reusable packaging, she was told Maine food regulations would not allow it. Kate then asked her State Senator to file a bill that would amend state law so local entrepreneurs have the option to safely offer reusable containers as a way to reduce plastic pollution and waste.
This week, the Maine House and Senate approved that bill, LD 2091, setting the stage for an update to state law that will allow businesses to provide food in reusable containers and receive them back for sanitizing. The bill now heads to Governor Janet Mills’ desk for consideration.
“LD 2091 will open the door for companies around Maine to make decisions that are right for their business, safely meet customer demands, relieve burdens on local municipalities tasked with waste disposal, and explore new business models,” said Kate Pilotte, owner of Farm and Fish, a locally sourced meal kit service, in testimony delivered before the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. “Customers want this, but I can’t respond because the law obstructs my ability to do so.”
Reusable food and beverage packaging options for event venues, in-house dining, retail, and take-out services are popping up throughout the country. Many businesses provide reusable, returnable container programs because it saves them money and provides a better experience for their customers. Innovative third-party businesses are also being created to support the logistics and sanitation for businesses that provide reusable and returnable containers.
“Local Maine businesses that want to offer reusable options should be able to without our laws blocking them,” said Vanessa Berry, Sustainable Maine Program Manager at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “This bill will allow for a safe transition to reusable packaging for a broad range of businesses, which will save money for those businesses, reduce taxpayer burdens, and reduce waste.”
The disposal and management of packaging waste in Maine is estimated to cost property taxpayers at least $16 million a year. LD 2091 will help reduce taxpayer costs for municipal waste disposal by reducing the amount of single-use packaging that ends up in recycling or trash streams.
