Mar 26 - Maine Passes First Product Stewardship Framework Law in the Nation

Maine has passed a new product stewardship law that is intended to shift the fiscal and physical burden of dealing with hard-to-recycle products away from local communities and toward producers, consumers and others who benefit from products sold and used.

HP 1159 by representative Melissa Walsh Innes was enacted on March 11. Governor John E. Baldacci signed the "Provide Leadership Regarding the Responsible Recycling of Consumer Products" Act on March 11.

Under this law, producers are required to file and implement product stewardship plans, detailing the collection, transportation, reuse and recycling or disposal of their end-of-life products. A state agency has been given authority to determine which product categories will fall under the new law.
Read the law.

California has also has a Producer Responsibility Framework bill, AB 2139 by Assembly Member Chesbro.

For pending legislation on product-specific producer responsibility:

 

Lanh Nguyen