With the passage of LD 1541, big corporations that flood Maine with plastic and other excessive packaging will have to pay for the growing volume of waste they create. This new policy, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR), incentivizes the design of less wasteful packaging that can be recycled. LD 1541 establishes a stewardship organization, contracted by the state, to accept funds from packaging producers. Fees will be based on the weight of packaging material generated by the company’s products. The collected fees will then be redistributed to cities and towns to compensate them for the high costs of disposal fees. EPR for Packaging will help Maine finally reach its long-established 50% recycling goal. While EPR has been successfully implemented in 47 jurisdictions worldwide, Maineis the first state in the country to enact this program.
| District | Name | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Donna Bailey | |
| 9 | Joseph Baldacci | |
| 19 | Richard Bennett | |
| 17 | Russell J. Black | |
| 25 | Catherine Breen | |
| 30 | Stacy Brenner | |
| 29 | Anne M. Carney | |
| 27 | Benjamin M. Chipman | |
| 20 | Ned Claxton | |
| 11 | Chip Curry | |
| 16 | Scott W. Cyrway | |
| 24 | Matthea Elisabeth Larsen Daughtry | |
| 4 | Paul T. Davis | |
| 32 | Susan A. Deschambault | |
| 26 | Bill Diamond | |
| 5 | James F. Dill | |
| 3 | Bradlee Thomas Farrin | |
| 10 | Stacey K. Guerin | |
| 14 | Craig V. Hickman | |
| 1 | Troy Dale Jackson | |
| 18 | Lisa Keim | |
| 35 | Mark W. Lawrence | |
| 21 | Nathan L. Libby | |
| 13 | Chloe Maxmin | |
| 12 | David R. Miramant | |
| 6 | Marianne Moore | |
| 15 | Matthew G. Pouliot | |
| 34 | Joseph Rafferty | |
| 8 | Kimberley C. Rosen | |
| 2 | Trey Stewart | |
| 22 | Jeffrey L. Timberlake | |
| 23 | Eloise A. Vitelli | |
| 33 | David C. Woodsome | |