AUGUSTA - Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, introduced legislation to support and improve municipal recycling programs before the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Monday.
LD 1541 establishes an extended producer responsibility program, also known as an "EPR for Packaging" program, to be operated by a stewardship organization contracted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
This program would make the producer of a product responsible for paying costs associated with the recycling and disposal of that product's packaging, a cost already incurred by municipalities. Payments received by the stewardship organization will be used to reimburse eligible municipalities for recycling and waste management costs, pay for the program's operational costs and support public education programs to improve recycling outcomes in Maine.
According to the DEP, Maine taxpayers are paying at least $16 million each year to manage packaging materials, which accounts for 30% to 40% of Maine's waste stream.
"The producers of packaging bear no financial burden for the disposal of the trash they create and instead, that cost is socialized amongst us, the taxpayers," said Grohoski. "EPR for Packaging as proposed in LD 1541 creates a market mechanism to support municipal recycling programs as well as incentives for producers to make better packaging over time. Quite simply, it puts the cost back on the cost causers."
The cost of recycling has increased, putting a financial burden on municipalities as well. The DEP estimates it to be 67% more expensive, on average, to recycle an item in Maine than to incinerate or landfill it.
"That increased price is unfortunately just too much for most municipalities to bear," said Grohoski. "Many municipalities have had to curtail or completely close their recycling programs, especially in our more rural areas. Now is the time to restructure our waste management system to work better for Maine people, our municipalities and our environment. We cannot afford to wait any longer as our recycling programs fail and our municipal taxpayers bear the rising costs of managing this waste."
Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, lead Senate co-sponsor of the bill, said, "The largest corporations on the globe are designing higher property taxes for Mainers into their packaging. Its time that they take responsibility for the waste they are delivering to our doorsteps and into our shopping carts. If you believe in the efficiency of the corporate model of business, you should be sure that they are incentivized to take the lead on fixing this problem."
The committee will hold a work session on LD 1541 in the coming weeks.
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