Maine

Lighthouse and coastal Maine

Maine's LD 1541 requires producers of consumer packaging material to register with the Stewardship Organization (SO)*, and through the SO, fund the end of life of that material, which includes reimbursements to participating municipalities for managing packaging material that is both readily recyclable and that which is not readily recyclable.

CAA intends to respond to Maine’s RFP to serve as its SO.

*LD 1541 uses the term Stewardship Organization instead of Producer Responsibility Organization.

FAQ

Key Information for Producers

  • In Maine, the SO must respond to an RFP released by Maine DEP by the end of 2025.

  • In Maine, participant producers must register with the approved SO in May 2026.

  • In Maine, producers must pay start up fees within 180 days of the effective date of the SO’s contract with DEP.

    CAA will continue to develop guidance for producers regarding their fee requirements under LD 1541.

  • In Maine, participant producers must register with and report data to the approved SO in May 2026.

Key Milestones in the Regulatory and Implementation Process

  • July 12, 2021

    Governor Mills Signs LD 1541.

  • June 20, 2025

    Governor Mills signs LD 1423, “An Act to Improve Recycling by Updating the Stewardship Program for Packaging.”

  • December 2025

    Maine DEP Releases RFP.

  • March 2026

    Maine DEP Contracts with SO.

  • May 2026

    May 2026

    Producers Register with the SO and Report Data.

  • September 2026

    Producers Remit Start-Up Fees to SO.

  • October 2027

    SO Remits First Payments to Municipalities.

State Rulemaking Updates

Business people with wooden gears fitting together like a puzzle

Stakeholder Meetings

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) hosted regular stakeholder workshops as part of the informal rulemaking process. In Fall 2023, it released Conceptual Draft Rules in three parts. CAA submitted comments in response. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection considered the proposed draft rules and approved them for public posting as part of the formal rulemaking process.

Formal Rulemaking

The Department is in the rulemaking process for Chapter 428 to add Appendix A, the Materials List, as well as to amend Ch. 428 to align it to the changes made to 38 M.R.S. § 2146 in the 132nd Maine Legislature (with the passage of LD 1423). A public hearing was held by the Board of Environmental Protection on October 16, 2025. Comments on the draft rules, available here, were due before midnight on October 27, 2025 via email to rulecomments.dep@maine.gov with the subject Comment on Chapter 428: Stewardship Program for Packaging.

More information can be found on Maine DEP Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging page and the Maine Board of Environmental Protection’s Rulemaking page.