Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you neither for nor against LD 112. There are two distinct Read More
solid waste
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 988, An Act To Reduce the Landfilling of Municipal Solid Waste
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to testify in support of LD 988, which would help Maine’s waste policy better Read More
NRCM Testimony in Support of LD 401, An Act to Preserve State Landfill Capacity and Promote Recycling
Senator Carson, Representative Tucker, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, my name is Sarah Lakeman and I am the Sustainable Maine Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you in support of LD 401. For years, NRCM has been Read More
As Demand for Recycled Material Shrinks, Consumers Can Take Action
Steps include reducing waste, learning what is accepted locally and redeeming beverage containers. by Sarah Lakeman, Special to the Press Herald Portland Press Herald op-ed AUGUSTA — Global recycling markets are changing, and cities and towns across Maine are responding – some by abandoning their recycling programs. This is a big wake-up call that will Read More
Windham Middle School Students Help Reduce School Waste
Two weeks ago, I had the great treat to get out of the office and head to Windham Middle School. I met up with NRCM staff member Ryan Parker and two NRCM members to learn what the Windham Middle School Green Team had been up to over the course of the school year. Windham was Read More
They Might Be Old, But They’re Still Cold! Learn about Re-Fridge.
Mitch Newlin, a senior at Bates College in Lewiston, has created a novel business, Re-Fridge, based on efforts to prevent a wasteful practice he noticed as an underclassman. After his first year at Bates, Newlin was astonished to see that at the end of each year, college campuses are rife with piles of items students Read More
In Key Advance, Food Waste Recycling-to-Energy Program Begins in Portland Area
By Peter McGuire, news writer Portland Press Herald news story A food waste recycling program launched Wednesday in Portland hopes to trigger the next big advance in southern Maine’s municipal trash business: collection of household kitchen scraps and other organic waste. Kitchen scraps, expired produce and other food waste make up close to 30 percent Read More
Ecomaine Launches Food Waste Recovery Service
By Patty Wight MPBN news story Open up a refrigerator and the chances of finding limp lettuce or soggy squash are pretty high. Here in the U.S., it’s likely that this food will find its way into the garbage — according to the USDA, at least 30 percent of the nation’s food supply is wasted. Read More
Why Support Pay As You Throw
It makes sense. We produce too much trash in Maine. Not only should communities provide a convenient way for people to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, but they should also create an incentive for people to do so by charging a fee for each bag of household trash. Charging a fee for each bag of Read More
