Collects 8 Million Pounds of Waste, Saves Mainers $3 Million, Keeps 1 Million Pounds of Lead from Environment The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) released a report detailing the accomplishments of Maine’s two-year-old, first-in-the-nation electronic waste recycling program that requires manufacturers to establish and pay for collection and recycling centers. “By any measure, Maine’s Read More
Recycling and Product Stewardship
Maine has long championed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or "product stewardship" laws because they have proven effective at saving taxpayers money, reducing waste, and protecting our environment. Traditional recycling programs are run and funded by municipal governments. EPR programs shift the costs of dealing with difficult and dangerous items to the corporations and manufacturers who make and sell their products in Maine.
Support of LD 1657, Support and Enhance Maine’s Beverage Container Recycling Laws and Household Hazardous Waste Collection
by Matt Prindiville, NRCM Toxics Policy Advocate Good morning Senator Bromley, Representative Smith and Members of the Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development. My name is Matt Prindiville. I am the Toxics Policy Advocate for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). NRCM is Maine’s leading, membership-supported environmental advocacy organization. We represent over 10,000 Read More
Mercury “Hot Spots” Found
By Lindsay Tice, Staff Writer Sun Journal news story The upper Androscoggin and upper Kennebec rivers are “hot spots” for mercury pollution, according to two studies published this month in BioScience, a peer-review journal. The studies identified five northeastern regions with high mercury levels in fish and birds. The hot spots include the Adirondack Mountain Read More
Maine Takes Another Step Forward in Recycling Toxic Computers and TVs
AUGUSTA, MAINE — On Saturday, July 1, 2006 Maine becomes the third state in the nation to prohibit the landfilling or incineration of old computer monitors and television sets. This step forward in the implementation of Maine’s electronic waste recycling law means that these products will no longer be headed to landfills or incinerators where Read More
Recycling Electronics Gets Easier Under New State Law
by Tom Bell, Portland Press Herald Writer Portland Press Herald news story A new law goes into effect today that makes Maine the first state in nation to require manufacturers to pick up the cost of recycling old TVs and computer monitors. Environmentalists say the law will encourage manufacturers to design products that are less Read More
Maine’s First-In-the-Nation Law Requiring Manufacturers to Pay to Recycle Electronic Waste Goes Into Effect
AUGUSTA, MAINE – Today Maine launched the first manufacturer-funded program in the nation designed to capture hazardous electronic waste for safe disposal and recycling. Under the law enacted in 2004, beginning January 18, municipalities will send waste computer and television monitors to consolidation centers that are fully-funded by manufacturers. The manufacturers also pay to safely Read More
Mercury Thermostat Sales Ban Started on January 1st
But 5,600 Pounds of Mercury Still on Walls of Maine Homes, Businesses News release Today, the Natural Resources Council of Maine hosted a news conference at the Maine Hardware Store in Portland to inform Maine people about the new mercury thermostat sales ban that went into effect January 1, 2006, and to highlight the need Read More
16,896 Mercury-laden Car Switches Collected Under Maine’s Landmark Program!
NRCM news release At the urging of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, in 2002 Maine lawmakers passed a first-in-the-nation law to require carmakers to pay to collect harmful mercury switches from junked cars before scrapping them. Maine’s car mercury switch law was challenged in court by the carmakers, but the law prevailed. In December Read More
Peter Brann and Ben Lund Receive 2004 Environmental Award
The Natural Resources Council of Maine recognizes with deep appreciation their efforts to defend Maine’s environment in the courts. Peter Brann and Ben Lund, partners in the Lewiston-based law firm of Brann & Isaacson, have brought their considerable professional skills, tenacity, and love of Maine to a necessary part of the advocacy process—using the courts Read More
