Maine May Retool Recycling Goal

The senator and those in support of the bill say they think the state should advocate for more recycling, and that the goal would help to do so.

The most recent data from Maine’s Planning Office reveals a recycling rate of 35.5 percent, a decline from the peak recycling rate of 41 percent in 1995. According to the Bangor Daily News, the declining recycling rate can be attributed to the overall increase in the volume of waste generated, particularly in southern Maine. The growth has been in construction debris, primarily, which can be difficult to recycle if there are no local markets for the material.

Despite the Maine’s overall lagging recycling rate, a number of cities in the state have exceeded the 30 percent goal. For instance, Belfast and Newport have a recycling rate of 64 percent, while Harpswell has a rate of 75 percent, according to the report in the Bangor Daily News.

One way the state can help encourage recycling is to educate communities and transfer districts understand the financial benefits associated with recycling in the form of reduced tipping fees at the landfill.