AUGUSTA - The Maine House of Representatives voted to advance a bill Wednesday sponsored by Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, to support and improve municipal recycling programs and decrease property taxes. The bill, LD 1541, establishes an extended producer responsibility program, known as "EPR for Packaging." The House voted in favor of the amended measure 86-57.
If the bill is passed into law, Maine would become the first state in the country to shift 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.
"Our current recycling system isn't fair and it isn't working," said Grohoski. "Maine taxpayers spend an estimated $16 million annually to manage packaging materials and, at best, only 36% of these materials are being recycled. I am grateful to my colleagues in the House for recognizing that, for the sake of our taxpayers and our environment, we cannot afford to maintain the status quo. As we've seen in Canada and Europe, creating an EPR for Packaging program would improve municipal recycling at no extra cost to consumers."
The bill was co-sponsored by Republican, Independent and Democratic lawmakers and earned strong tripartisan support in the House.
LD 1541 now faces further votes in the House and Senate.
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