Our Sustainable City: Why is boosting recycling a persistent problem?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 3, 2026

Despite the fact that we have known recycling is beneficial for decades, South Portland remains stuck at a 26% recycling rate. At the same time, landfill capacity is slowly shrinking throughout the region. The Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, which manages close to half of all in-state waste, is set to approach its threshold by 2028. We can step up our efforts to recycle and divert more waste from existing landfills in order to prolong their life. That will save us the most money and be the most ecologically just option. Let’s do more to extend the life of our landfills. ~ Robyn Landes, AmeriCorps Resilience Fellow with the South Portland Sustainability Department