2008 Municipal Solid Waste Reporting Forms
2009 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Schedule
Please contact your Town Office for further details. Note: highlighted events have not been confirmed. See Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Schedule (11KB)
Video Contest Winners Celebrated
Congratulations to the winners of the Maine Recycles Video Competition! This year’s awards and contest participants were celebrated during an event held in their honor at the Maine State Museum on March 14. Nearly 60 attended, representing students and their schools from around the state.
The competition challenge was to create a 30-second video encouraging residents to recycle more and throw away less. Over 127 videos from 35 schools competed. The winner, Recycling Works for Me by Sy Cody White, a student at the New England School of Communications, will be aired as a public service announcement on Time Warner Cable stations across Maine. Additionally, a dvd compilation featuring 20 of the best entries will be distributed to Maine’s community access television stations. To see a complete list of winners and those recognized with Honorable Mention, go to: http://www.maine.gov/spo/recycle/schools/videocontest.htm For more information about the contest, contact Jetta Antonakos at (207) 287-9074 or email jetta.antonakos@maine.gov
Safe Option for Disposal of Unused and Expired Medicine
The Safe Medicine Disposal for ME program provides Maine's residents with a safe disposal option for unused and unwanted medicine. Free medicine mail back envelopes are available at participating sites. This program is funded through a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Aging Initiative. For information please visit: http://www.safemeddisposal.com/ .
Safe Medicine Disposal for ME Program
Report on Options to Increase Recycling of Plastics completed.
During the 123rd Legislative session, the Natural Resources Committee discussed having SPO conduct a review of the costs and benefits of state and local government options to stimulate an increase in the recycling of plastics, and report the findings and recommendations to the Committee in the next session. The types of plastics to be studied include plastic bottles and rigid containers, numbered 1 through 7. Through a letter from the Committee, SPO was requested to undertake the study, which is now completed.
Even though the majority of Maine’s communities’ recycle some plastic containers, primarily the # 1’s (PET) and # 2’s (HDPE), there are frequent questions about the possibility of recycling other types of containers, as well as increasing the collection and recycling of the currently accepted containers. This report examines both current and possible recycling of plastics, and includes basic information on the various resins, community recycling programs, and specifications related to the processing and recycling of plastics. Learn more by reading,
The Costs and Benefits of State and Local Options to Stimulate an Increase in the Recycling of Plastics and it's
Appendices.
The Maine Resource Recovery Association is again offering compost bins, kitchen collection ‘pails’, hand compost turners and rain barrels for sale, in bulk quantities, at reduced prices. For more information on participating in this opportunity, visit http://www.mrra.net
Maine Recycles Week 2008 Has Left Its Impression
Our congratulations and sincere thanks to each school, teacher, and student that took part in this year’s Maine Recycles Week activities! We want to thank all who participated, whether in school competitions or in the poster contest or perhaps in some personal action.The MRW Steering Committee enthusiastically reviewed all entries for the school competition and selected the following:
Outstanding schools that received $500 each - - those funds are asked to be used for science or environmental activities or for recycling in the school:
Fruit Street School – Bangor
Bowdoinham Community School – Bowdoinham
Lincoln Middle School – Portland.
To celebrate the 10th Year of Maine Recycles Week, The MRW Steering Committee drew at random from the remaining competing schools another seven (for a total of 10, to recognize the 10th year of MRW) to be awarded $250 each. These schools were:
Trinity Catholic School – Lewiston
St. George School – St. George
Easton Elementary School – Easton
Saccarappa School – Westbrook
Belgrade Community School – Belgrade
Livermore Falls High School – Livermore Falls
South Bristol Elementary – South Bristol
The traditional Maine Recycles Week Poster contest was equally a challenge, with nearly 1900 entries to review; however, the MRW Steering Committee came through again in their review! Listed below are those students with their art included in the 2009 Maine Recycles calendar. As we have always done, we use only first names for students. When the calendar is printed later in December, copies will be available through this website.
Cover - Mike, Livermore Falls High School, Gr. 10, Livermore Falls
January - Hunter, Readfield Elementary School, Gr. 3, Readfield
February - Arielle, Fisher-Middle School, Gr. 4, Bath
March - Spencer, Friendship Village School, Gr. 6, Friendship
April - Dominic, Lincoln Middle School, Gr. 6, Portland
May - Duncan, Herman High School, Gr. 12, Herman
June - Tessa, Stepping Stones Montessori School, Gr. 5 Chelsea
July - Chloe, Cheverus High School, Gr.10, Portland
August - Rylie, Lincoln Middle School, Gr. 6, Portland
September - Hannah, Rangeley Lakes Regional School, Gr. 10, Rangeley
October - Alex, The Hyde School, Gr. 11, Bath
November - Tryn, Rangeley Lakes Regional School, Gr. 12, Rangeley
December - Natalie, Lincoln Middle School, Gr. 6, Portland
Congratulations to one and all!
Check out the new interactive ‘Maine Recycles’ website and TV ads!
You can post your own recycling pictures, take a survey and find out just how trashy you are, andlearn about where your recyclables go and what theybecome. See it all at www.MaineRecycles.com
Click Here to check out our TV Spots
2007 Solid Waste Generation and Disposal Capacity Report
This annual report provides details and perspectives on the volume and types of municipal solid waste that were generated in Maine during 2007 and how those wastes were managed. 2007 Report. Contact George MacDonald at 287-5759 or george.macdonald@maine.gov
Compact Fluorescent Recycling Program
Efficiency Maine, a program through the Maine Public Utilities Commission, just launched a statewide CFL bulb recycling program. You can now bring your used (unbroken) CFL bulbs to any participating store for free recycling. Note: CFL bulbs must be recycled and cannot be disposed of in the trash because they contain small amounts of mercury. Or you can contact your local transfer station or municipal office to see if they accept these bulbs for recycling. An Excel spreadsheet (sheet 3) that lists the public facilities is available on the Department of Environmental Protection's website.
Signs
are Now Available to Communities
As a way to educate the public the State
Planning Office has signs available at no cost for Maine
transfer stations and disposal
facilities. Each aluminum sign is 24"x30" and
lists common items that are banned from disposal in Maine.
Signs will not be mailed out but can be picked up at
our Augusta office by contacting
us to arrange pick-up.
