Testimony in Opposition to LD 175, An Act to Increase the Use of Municipal Waste-to-energy Processes as a Source of Renewable Energy Senator Lawrence, Representative Zeigler, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Sarah Nichols, and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Read More
Sustainability
Talking Trash with Author Edward Humes in Maine
Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes recently visited Maine for the day on a research mission for the sequel to his book Garbology. In Garbology, he investigates trash—what’s in it; how much we pay for it; how we manage to create so much of it; and how some families, communities, and even nations are Read More
Tackling Electronic Waste in Maine
Every day, our team of 16 employees works to keep unwanted electronics out of Maine’s landfills. Our work is important because while electronic waste (computers, televisions, printers, cell phones, etc.) comprises just 2-4% of landfill waste, it accounts for 90% of the harmful chemicals and heavy metals that end up in the ground, the air Read More
Going Plastic-free: My Family’s Month-long Challenge
I started my new job with Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) in early March 2022. At the time, my wife and I, spurred on by the growing concerns of plastics in the environment, had been thinking about ways to further reduce plastics in our waste stream. We had long since adopted strategies such as Read More
Let’s Look at Plastic in Daylight, and Leave the Smoke and Mirrors to Hollywood
Corporations that spew out plastic packaging want us to pay no attention to the man behind the (plastic) curtain. The consumer brands that thrust the barrage of plastic pollution on the world seem determined to confuse and mislead people into believing plastic packaging is good for the environment even though the facts are undeniably to Read More
Poll Affirms Mainers Overwhelmingly Support Policies to Reduce Waste, Act on Climate
NRCM news release May 6, 2022 (Augusta, ME) – The vast majority of Mainers support policies to curb pollution by reducing waste and acting on climate according to a new poll of Maine voters conducted in Spring 2022. The poll confirms that actions taken by the Maine Legislature over the past few years to encourage Read More
New Law Will Close Out-of-state Waste Loophole
Don’t Waste ME | Community Action Works | Natural Resources Council of Maine news release A bill to stop filling Maine’s State-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill with out-of-state waste was signed into law yesterday by Governor Janet Mills. LD 1639 will close a loophole in the state’s waste laws that had allowed private corporations to import construction Read More
Addressing PFAS Contamination on Maine Farms
Ben Whalen, Co-Owner of Bumbleroot Organic Farm in Windham and board member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) recently delivered testimony to the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (ACF) Committee in support of LD 2013, a bill that would provide sorely needed relief and research funding for commercial farmers whose land is contaminated Read More
Debunking Claims Made by Companies Profiting Off Maine’s Out-of-state Waste Loophole
This legislative session, a bill (LD 1639) that would close Maine’s out-of-state waste loophole is gaining momentum. You see, Maine’s State-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill (JRL) was never supposed to accept out-of-state waste, and there is no good reason why it should. The State purchased the landfill to provide disposal capacity for Mainers’ waste, not the Read More
