BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 22, 2022
In Maine, many communities are transitioning away from traditional municipal recycling. We have studied disruptions in waste management. Recycling programs are facing a triple-whammy of threats, including changes in international recycling markets, public health fears related to the COVID-19 crisis, and disruptions in new waste management technologies in central Maine. Solutions need to involve upstream thinking, including redesigning products and packaging to reduce the amount of waste that is produced. Maine’s new law requiring extended producer responsibility for packaging represents an important step in this direction. ~ Michael Haedicke and Travis Blackmer, UMaine’s Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions