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Maine Board of Environmental Protection adopts Stewardship Program for Packaging.

On December 5th, 2024, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection adopted "Stewardship Program for Packaging, "06-096 C.M.R. ch. 428 (effective date December 25th, 2024). For a copy of 06-096 C.M.R. ch. 428, visit the State of Maine’s Rule Chapters for the Department of Environmental Protection website [ [link removed] ].

06-096 C.M.R. ch. 428 allows the Department to implement, administer, and enforce the Stewardship Program for Packaging (program) with the goals of reducing the burden to municipalities of managing packaging material and improving the design and management of packaging material. Additionally, it characterizes packaging material, provides a method for determining municipal reimbursement and producer fees, provides a method and criteria for investing in infrastructure and education, details alternative collection programs, and provides schedules and procedures for ongoing assessment and updates to the program.

The Department will continue program implementation by conducting stakeholder outreach to inform the draft Packaging Material Types List which will define packaging material types and include readily recyclable designations, as applicable. The Department plans to release the draft Packaging Material Types List at the end of March, and at that time, the Department will invite stakeholders to provide written comments on the draft Packaging Material Types List. In addition to accepting written comments, the Department will hold a stakeholder meeting, offered in person and virtually, to facilitate discussion on the draft Packaging Material Types List. This meeting will be held on April 16th from 9 to 11 am ET. More information, including a link to register for this meeting, will be provided in a future newsletter. After conducting stakeholder outreach to inform the draft Packaging Material Types List, the Department will initiate the formal rulemaking process with the Board of Environmental Protection (Board). Once adopted by the Board, the Packaging Material Types List will be added to Appendix A in 06-096 C.M.R. ch. 428.

Continued program implementation will also include the Department issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to inform the review of proposals submitted in response to the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Stewardship Organization (SO), the entity that will provide the services required to operate the program. The Department plans to issue an RFI in the spring of 2025, issue an RFP in the fall of 2025, and contract with the SO in the spring of 2026.

Soon after contracting with the SO, producers will be required to complete start-up registration and pay a fee. Producers will be required to report on the packaging material produced in 2026 in the spring of 2027 and pay fees by the fall of 2027 to the SO. The first municipal reimbursements are scheduled to be issued in the fall of 2027 for costs realized in calendar year 2026.

For a more detailed timeline of the program, visit the Department’s program website [ [link removed] ].

Thank you for your interest and participation. Please continue to direct questions and comments to [email protected].

 



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