An emergency bill that would provide immediate financial relief to struggling redemption centers has been approved by the Maine Legislature and is heading to Governor Mills’ desk. Redemption center owners and environmental groups were urging lawmakers to quickly pass LD 134 with the two-thirds vote necessary for it to be implemented right away. They Read More
Maine Bottle Bill
Maine’s Returnable Beverage Container Law, commonly referred to as “the Bottle Bill,” is the most successful waste and litter reduction law in our state’s history. With the help of NRCM in 1976, Maine became the third US state to enact a beverage container deposit program—after Oregon and Vermont. This smart policy went into effect in 1978 and successfully eliminated problematic roadside beverage container litter and resulted in Maine residents recycling an estimated 90 percent of the bottles and cans sold in the state.
LD 1418, An Act Concerning Single-use Disposable Water Bottles and Water Refill Stations
Testimony in Support of LD 1418, An Act Concerning Single-use Disposable Water Bottles and Water Refill Stations Senator Brenner, Representative Gramlich, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Nichols, and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I am here Read More
LD 846, An Act to Require Direct Wine Shippers to Comply with Maine Beverage Law
Testimony in Support of LD 846, An Act to Require Direct Wine Shippers to Comply with Maine Beverage Law Senator Hickman, Representative Supica, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs, my name is Sarah Nichols, and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate Read More
March 22, 2023: Zoom in — Modernizing Maine’s Bottle Bill
Maine’s Bottle Bill is our most successful recycling and litter prevention program. Unfortunately, the local redemption centers that are key to its success are struggling due to inflation and labor shortages. NRCM is encouraging lawmakers to pass two bills that will help redemption centers stay in business and ensure that Mainers have places to redeem Read More
Maine Student Receives National Recognition for Plastic Pollution Project
It has always been Maine’s young people that have spoken up the loudest for us to address the problems of plastic pollution. Maya Faulstich, a student at Yarmouth’s Frank Harrison Middle School, is one of those passionate young Mainers who is trying to raise awareness and she’s turned this passion into an award-winning presentation for Read More
Top 5 Take-Aways from Maine’s Latest Waste and Recycling Report
The Sustainable Maine team at the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is laser-focused on three bills that will make a huge difference in addressing serious problems and troubling trends with our recycling and landfilling system. Maine people want to do the right thing for the environment, but we need better policies in place if Read More
Four Ways to Improve Our Worsening Waste and Recycling Crisis
Even eternally optimistic people struggle to remain positive sometimes. I know because I am one of them. And as someone who has thought about recycling and waste policy daily for the past decade, my positivity has never had a greater test than in 2020. Most people understand that reducing waste and recycling is an environmentally Read More
Support of LD 1628, An Act To Implement Recommendations of the DEP Regarding the State’s Container Redemption Laws
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to support LD 1628, which would implement the Department of Environmental Protection’s recommendations regarding Read More
LD 360, Increase Reimbursement to Bottle Redemption Centers
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of LD 360, which I believe is the Read More
