Maine Poised to Pass EPR Legislation

Date: June 23, 2021

Source: News Room

The state of Maine is poised to become the first state in the union to regulate the packaging of consumer products sold in the state under a program known as extended producer responsibility (EPR). Legislative Document 1541, which recently passed both the House and Senate in the state moves now to the governor's desk. Maine is among several states working on some sort of EPR legislation.

Maine's law seeks to bolster municipal recycling programs and improve data gathering with the help of fees paid by producers which would vary depending on the design, amount, and type of packaging. A stewardship organization, overseen by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would administer the enterprise. Maine already has EPR for other items, including electronic waste, old paint and mercury thermostats.

Money collected from producers would be used in part to help municipalities offset the cost of recycling. There would be a tiered, flat fee option for low-volume producers, those who "deliver[ed], present[ed] or distribut[ed]" between 1 and 15 tons of packaging annually, not to exceed more than $500 per ton of packaging and no more than $7,500 each year. Producers making less than $5 million in total gross revenue would be exempt for the first three years of the program (that threshold would drop to $2 million thereafter), as would 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

See also: "EPR Bill Could be Model for Other States," (https://www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20210129A.htm).

See also: "Extended Producer Responsibility back on the Radar," (https://www.wasteinfo.com/news/wbj20201207A.htm).

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