The Maine State Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee is considering a ban on out-of-state construction and demolition debris to help combat the state’s falling recycling rates, according to a report in the Portland Press Herald. (Portland, Maine).
A report by the State Planning Office has revealed that Maine’s recycling rate has fallen from 37.3 percent in 2001 to 35.5 percent in 2003, according to the Press Herald. The report is submitted every two years to the committee.
The report also noted that the amount of out-of-state debris accepted in Maine nearly doubled in the same two-year period. The increased generation could be responsible for the drop in recycling rates.