by Madeline St. Amour Portland Press Herald news story The Department of Environmental Protection has issued the final permits for a first-of-its-kind waste management plant in Hampden that would convert trash from more than 100 central Maine communities into biofuels. But despite its winning of the permits, controversy continues to swell around the project. The Read More
solid waste
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
Think Twice Before Choosing a Trash Option with All the Wrong Incentives
By Kathryn King, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Nobody likes to talk about our trash, whether at the municipal or state level. Let’s face it: Trash isn’t what most people would consider dinner table conversation. But maybe it should be, because organic waste, including food scraps, makes up a huge portion of Read More
Maine Lawmakers Hear Mixed Testimony on Composting, Recycling Bill
A committee considers one of the most significant updates of Maine’s solid waste management laws, a plan to divert more waste from landfills into recycling or composting programs. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Cities and towns could have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees Read More
Sustainable Waste
Composting reduces disposal cost, improves soil by Gina Hamilton Boothbay Register news story Lincoln County has been ahead of the curve in sustainability for many years. It began recycling before almost anyone else had even heard of the word, in 1978, and is still the only county in New England that organizes recycling at a Read More
Why Fiberight Would Take Maine in Wrong Direction on Waste
By Sarah Lakeman, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed As we head into 2016, many Mainers are talking about trash. State lawmakers are discussing a bill to move Maine closer to our goal of recycling 50 percent of our solid waste. Communities are exploring ways to recover food waste, increase composting and reduce Read More
Waste Not, Want Not
91. That’s the number of times the Empire State Building could have been filled from top to bottom with the amount of food wasted in the United States in 2010. And the problem gets worse every year. United States Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, representing Maine’s First Congressional District, recently unveiled and introduced legislation to tackle this Read More
Two Companies are Headed for a Showdown Over Your Trash
By Matthew Stone, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story There’s a competition going on for your trash. Some 187 Maine towns and cities will have to decide this year where they’ll send their municipal solid waste starting in 2018. One facility wants it so it can stay in business. Another wants it so it Read More
Why Support a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program?
Cigarettes are the most commonly littered item in the United States. Estimates show that as many as 42 trillion cigarette butts are discarded as litter each year, and 32 percent of the litter at storm drains is from tobacco products. Cigarette litter doesn’t just go away. Many people believe that cigarette filters are biodegradable, but Read More
