EPR for Packaging Will Save Taxpayer Money and Improve Recycling News release Maine has joined more than 40 jurisdictions around the world to require companies that create packaging waste help pay for the costs of recycling. It becomes the first state in the nation to pass an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law (LD 1541) Read More
plastic pollution
Explainer: How Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging Will Benefit Maine
Maine is the first state in the nation to hold big corporations and brands accountable for the plastic waste and packaging they have created. Our new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law (LD 1541) will increase recycling rates, reduce packaging pollution, and save taxpayers money. This is a very big deal, folks. And not because we’re the first, but because it Read More
Maine Student Receives National Recognition for Plastic Pollution Project
It has always been Maine’s young people that have spoken up the loudest for us to address the problems of plastic pollution. Maya Faulstich, a student at Yarmouth’s Frank Harrison Middle School, is one of those passionate young Mainers who is trying to raise awareness and she’s turned this passion into an award-winning presentation for Read More
Support of LD 1541, An Act to Support and Improve Municipal Recycling Programs and Save Taxpayer Money
Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Nichols, and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to testify in strong support of LD 1541. The language is very similar to LD Read More
Why Consumers Alone Can’t “Fix” Recycling
Are you recycling right? Chances are, not always. If someone asked you today, how confident do you feel that you are recycling correctly? If a recycling expert were to take a look inside your blue bin, would you be nervous? If you’re uncertain about the items you’ve been placing out at the curb, rest assured, Read More
Young Maine Poets Inspire on Earth Day
From climate change to biodiversity loss to plastic pollution, the next generation faces daunting environmental challenges. But these obstacles also serve as inspiration for Maine’s young poets, who use them to share messages of hope for a clean and healthy future. On April 22, 2021, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and The Telling Room Read More
It’s Time to Make Recycling Work for Maine’s Taxpayers and the Environment
As a Maine business focused on waste reduction, we hear first-hand from Maine residents who are frustrated by overly packaged products. Consumers are told to reduce their waste, but rarely are low- and no-waste options available to them on the shelves. At Go Go Refill, we’re changing that because we believe low-waste options should be available Read More
Recognizing Unjust, Disproportionate Health Impacts of Our Waste System
There is more to our waste crisis than meets the eye as a new United Nations (UN) report makes clear. The study, released by the United Nations Environment Program and the environmental justice nonprofit Azul shows that at every stage of the life-cycle for plastics – from production to disposal — there are significant human Read More
Support of LD 618, An Act Regarding the Outdoor Release or Abandonment of Balloons and LD 1023, An Act to Define Intentional Balloon Releases as Litter
Senator Brenner, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Nichols and I am the Sustainable Maine Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of these two proposals (LD 618 and LD 1023) Read More
