The City Council approved the ordinances unanimously last September. By Kelley Bouchard, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — Two new ordinances take effect Tuesday, imposing a ban on plastic foam food containers and a 5-cent fee on all single-use paper or plastic shopping bags. The City Council approved the ordinances unanimously Read More
Sustainability
Our vision of sustainability in Maine is ensuring a healthy future for life on Earth. Maine’s clean and healthy environment strengthens the state’s economy and is central to our way of life. Holding polluting corporations accountable through systemic changes in local, state, and federal policies is the key to creating a more healthy, prosperous, sustainable future for us all.
Will a Ban on Food in Landfills Finally Spur Maine to Boost Recycling?
by Christopher Burns, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story Maine needs to decide what it’s going to do about the food in its waste stream. Food and other organics comprise 43 percent of Maine’s residential waste, more than paper, plastic, glass and metal. Yet, only about 5 percent of organics are composted, leaving much Read More
Maine Lawmakers Debate Changes to Waste Disposal Laws
By Mal Leary MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – Every day more than 4 pounds of waste is generated by every man, woman and child in Maine. That covers everything from food scraps to batteries and packaging, and a lot more. Maine currently recycles some items, burns some for energy and landfills a lot. The Read More
Maine Lawmakers Hear Mixed Testimony on Composting, Recycling Bill
A committee considers one of the most significant updates of Maine’s solid waste management laws, a plan to divert more waste from landfills into recycling or composting programs. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Cities and towns could have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees Read More
Why Fiberight Would Take Maine in Wrong Direction on Waste
By Sarah Lakeman, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed As we head into 2016, many Mainers are talking about trash. State lawmakers are discussing a bill to move Maine closer to our goal of recycling 50 percent of our solid waste. Communities are exploring ways to recover food waste, increase composting and reduce Read More
Natural Resources Council of Maine Awards “Protecting the Nature of Maine” Grants to Eight Middle Schools
The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) has awarded grants to eight Maine middle schools to fund projects that engage students in protecting Maine’s environment. These grants will help students establish nature trails, set up school-wide recycling initiatives, propagate and plant native plants on which endangered birds depend, and much more. Some of these grants Read More
Pesticides Ordinance Would Have Portland Flourishing Responsibly
Our lack of synthetic land-care chemical regulations sets us apart from other progressive communities. By Avery Yale Kamila, co-founder of Portland Protectors, is a mother, a freelance writer and a Press Herald food columnist. Portland Press Herald op-ed Our lack of synthetic land-care chemical regulations sets us apart from other progressive communities. It’s no secret Read More
Waste Not, Want Not
91. That’s the number of times the Empire State Building could have been filled from top to bottom with the amount of food wasted in the United States in 2010. And the problem gets worse every year. United States Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, representing Maine’s First Congressional District, recently unveiled and introduced legislation to tackle this Read More
Pingree Joins Effort to Combat Food Waste, Climate Damage
Her legislation recognizes the world can throw away less, feed more and have a big impact on the planet. by John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer for United Technologies Corp., parent company of Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick Portland Press Herald op-ed FARMINGTON, Conn. — In a historic moment for the planet, more than 190 Read More
