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
Plastic Pollution
NRCM is working hard to bring plastic pollution solutions to Maine. Together, we can reduce Maine’s impact on this catastrophic global problem and provide inspiration for others around the world.
Plastic pollution in Maine is a more devastating problem than you may think. Plastic is present throughout the environment everywhere on earth. Maine is no exception. Plastic is polluting our waterways, coastlines, forests, and open spaces, choking wildlife, and making its way into the food web.
The sources of plastic pollution in Maine are unnervingly diverse, and the flow of plastic into the environment is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, it is increasing. The amount of plastic litter we can see is astounding, but even more worrisome is the staggering amount of plastic pollution we cannot see—so-called microplastic. A growing body of evidence is revealing plastic pollution’s devastating impact on our health and the environment.
York Prepares for Start of Plastic Bag Ban
Chamber moves to help businesses By Deborah McDermott Seacoast Online news story YORK, Maine — Now that the first-in-the-state ordinance banning single-use plastic bags has been approved, the town’s business leaders, citizens and officials are shifting gears and preparing for the March 1 effective date. Residents last week approved the ordinance by a vote of Read More
York Enacts Plastic Bag Ban
By Tom Porter MPBN news story YORK, Maine — By a narrow margin, voters here have chosen to prohibit stores from using plastic shopping bags. This makes the southern Maine community the first in the state to introduce such a moratorium. Earlier this year Portland introduced a 5-cent fee for most plastic bags issued by Read More
Portland on Track to Be a “Top Tier” Sustainable City
New Report Profiles the People and Organizations Making It Happen NRCM news release Portland, ME—Portland is making great strides in promoting local foods, minimizing waste, using clean energy efficiently, connecting people with nature, and incorporating environmental sustainability into daily life. According to a new report released today by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM), Read More
Plastic Bag Bans and Fees Catching on in Maine
Portland’s ordinance went into effect on April 15, and other communities are poised to follow. By Mary Pols, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story In the six months since Portland passed an ordinance calling for most food retailers to charge a nickel for each single-use plastic or paper bag, reusable bags have gotten extremely Read More
South Portland Joins Portland in Imposing 5-cent Fee on Plastic Shopping Bags
The City Council also bans the use of polystyrene packaging. By Dennis Hoey, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — The city of South Portland joined Portland on Monday night as the only municipalities in Maine that have adopted ordinances requiring consumers to pay 5 cents for disposable, plastic shopping bags at Read More
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 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
Midcoast Communities Push Back against Plastic Bag Use
A petition effort is underway in Brunswick and Topsham to impose a 5-cent tax on all carryout plastic bags issued by businesses. By Chris Chase, Coastal Journal Portland Press Herald news story BRUNSWICK — Bring Your Own Bag, a citizens’ group, is preparing petitions to impose a 5-cent tax on every plastic bag issued to customers Read More
