AUGUSTA - Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill to enhance municipal recycling programs and decrease property taxes into law Monday. The measure, LD 1541, sponsored by Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, establishes an extended producer responsibility program, known as "EPR for Packaging," for municipal recycling and waste disposal costs.
Maine is the first state in the nation to pass a law shifting municipal recycling and waste disposal costs away from local taxpayers and onto packaging manufacturers. EPR for Packaging programs operate successfully in several Canadian provinces and European countries.
I'm proud that, once again, Maine is a national leader when it comes to commonsense environmental protections, said Grohoski. This new law assures every Maine community that help with recycling and lowering the property tax burden is on the way. Its time for packaging producers to take responsibility for their waste stream in the Pine Tree State, as they do in more than 40 other countries and regions worldwide.
The program, run by a stewardship organization contracted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will use producer payments to cover the operational costs for the program, pay department fees and to make investments in education and infrastructure to reduce future packaging waste in Maine.
On or before December 31, 2023, DEP will initiate rulemaking necessary for the implementation, administration and enforcement of the program.
Grohoski, a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, is serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives. She represents the communities of Ellsworth and Trenton.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Grohoski], c. 812-1111