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DEP Seeks Public Input on Solid Waste and Septage Management Rules.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (“the Department”) is seeking public and stakeholder input on the Solid Waste and the Septage Management Rules (“Rules”), 06-096 C.M.R. Chapters 400-420, prior to the initiation of the formal rulemaking process. Public input submitted is intended to assist the Department in evaluating its Rules and to develop new and support existing facilities, technologies, programs, initiatives, and processes in way that is consistent with Maine’s solid waste management hierarchy.

Specifically, the Department is seeking the public’s perspective on the following questions:


* How might the Department strike the right balance in its Rules to both encourage new technologies and protect the environment/human health?


* How can the Department encourage pathways for re-use of “waste” materials so that they do not have to go to solid waste disposal facilities?
* What are current benefits and drawbacks in the rules for licensing new and innovative technologies?
* What level of regulatory review and oversight is appropriate for short-term, low volume solid waste “demonstration” projects?
* Should there be changes to how Maine regulates processing facilities and/or recycling facilities?

* Are there opportunities for the Department to streamline the licensing process for solid waste facilities, including specific activities that might be exempt from licensing or be licensed through a permit-by-rule process?
* Should Maine require additional reporting on the quantity and ultimate disposition of solid waste in Maine, including wastewater treatment plant sludge and other non-hazardous waste residuals? 
* What solid waste management costs such as handling, transportation, disposal, and beneficial use, should be reported to the Department and by whom?

The Department is holding two Opportunity for Input sessions and accepting written comment. An in-person meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm EDT at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Administrative Building, 109 Capital Street, Augusta, Maine. A virtual meeting is scheduled for Wednesday September 14, 2026, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm EDT. Use the following link to RSVP for the virtual meeting titled Opportunity for Input Session: Solid Waste and Septage Management Rules Updates. [ [link removed] ] The Department requests all comments addressing the above questions be emailed to [email protected] by September 18, 2026.

Members of the public may reference the Rules and sign up for future opportunities for input on the rulemaking process by visiting the Department’s webpage [ [link removed] ].



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