December 5, 2024 (Augusta, ME) – The Maine Board of Environmental Protection today finalized rules for a first-in-the-nation Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law that will save taxpayers money and improve recycling by holding corporations accountable for the wasteful packaging they produce.
“Today’s vote is great news for Maine taxpayers and our environment,” said Vanessa Berry, Sustainable Maine Program Manager at the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “This practical solution will boost recycling rates and shift costs away from taxpayers onto the corporations that produce and profit from the huge volume of cardboard and plastic packaging that’s driving up waste management costs for Maine municipalities.”
Prompted by a flood of wasteful packaging that is overwhelming local transfer stations and wasting taxpayer money, Maine became the first state in the nation to pass an EPR for Packaging law in 2021.
Already in use in more than 40 jurisdictions across the world, EPR for Packaging sets up a straightforward system where the producers of packaging are required to pay the recycling costs for packaging materials, rather than these costs landing with towns and taxpayers. The program also will encourage corporations to provide less wasteful packaging that can be more easily reused or recycled.
Starting in 2027 when the program begins, manufacturers of packaging will be required to help cover the costs of managing their waste. Those funds will be distributed to towns across Maine by an independent stewardship organization to improve recycling and waste management statewide.
After the law was enacted the Department of Environmental Protection spent more than two years developing the details of how the program would be implemented, incorporating feedback from businesses, towns, Maine residents, and policy experts.
Maine has a long tradition of adopting extended producer responsibility laws for a range of products including paint, mercury thermostats, batteries, and unused drugs. These programs are saving taxpayers money, reducing pollution, and protecting the environment.
