By Abigail Curtis, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Got pesticides and are unsure of what to do with them? A state program aims to help, by allowing Mainers to dispose of banned or unusable pesticides next month at sites in Presque Isle, Bangor, Augusta and Portland. According to the Maine Department of Agriculture, 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.
Falmouth Takes Step Toward Banning Plastic Bags
The town would be the first in Maine to institute an outright ban on the use of plastic shopping bags by all retailers. By Matt Byrne, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Falmouth moved one step closer Wednesday to becoming the first community in Maine to ban stores from issuing single-use plastic bags, after Read More
South Portland City Council Approves 5-cent Shopping Bag Fee, Ban on Polystyrene Packaging
The new ordinances mirror similar steps approved in Portland in April. By Joe Lawlor, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — The City Council on Wednesday approved a 5-cent charge for disposable shopping bags at retailers and a ban on polystyrene products, mimicking Portland’s ordinances that went into effect in April. Both Read More
Bangor Pushing Plan to Lower Energy Consumption, Costs for Residents
By Evan Belanger, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story BANGOR, Maine — Reduced energy costs could be in store for many residents as a result of an endeavor to craft a comprehensive citywide energy policy launched Wednesday by the Bangor City Council’s Finance Committee. “Basically, the end goal of the plan will be how Read More
Judge Orders Mallinckrodt Manufacturing to Fund Mercury Cleanup Plan for Penobscot River
The ruling is a step toward requiring the company to pay to clean up pollution from the former HoltraChem site – a cost estimated at $130 million. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A federal judge ordered Mallinckrodt Manufacturing Co. on Wednesday to pay to develop a detailed plan to clean Read More
Judge Seeks Plan for Cleanup of Penobscot River at HoltraChem Site
By Dawn Gagnon, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story BANGOR, Maine — A federal court judge issued a ruling Wednesday ordering that an engineering firm be hired to develop a plan to clean up mercury deposited in the Penobscot River by a defunct Orrington chemical plant. HoltraChem, which operated from 1967 to 1982, produced Read More
Composting Heats Up in Maine
Cities and towns start to realize the value of turning food waste into black gold, and companies vie for the business. By Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUBURN — Inside the steaming rows of piled-up compost at the We Compost It! operation in Auburn is your standard smorgasbord of commercial and Read More
South Portland Council: ‘It’s Time’ for Bag Fee, Packaging Ban
By Alex Acquisto The Forecaster news story SOUTH PORTLAND — A single-use bag fee and ban on polystyrene in the city seem increasingly likely after Monday night’s City Council workshop. How similar the ordinance language should be to Portland’s, and whether to go beyond the limits of that ordinance, remains to be decided. The question Read More
How Maine Towns are Trying to Throw Away Less and Save More
By Christopher Burns, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Maine residents and businesses produced 2.5 million tons of waste in 2013, working out to 2.8 pounds of garbage per person each day. While that’s less garbage per person than the national average (4.4 pounds), getting rid of all that waste is expensive. It’s consistently Read More
