The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released a statement after the Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD 1423, 鈥淎n Act To Support and Improve Municipal Recycling by Updating the Stewardship Program for Packaging,鈥� which includes measurable improvements to Maine鈥檚 existing extended producer responsibility (EPR) program. The full statement by AF&PA Vice President of Industry Affairs Terry Webber is below:
鈥淎F&PA applauds Maine Governor Janet Mills and state lawmakers for advancing LD 1423, which makes much needed improvements to the state鈥檚 EPR policy.
鈥淲e appreciate policymakers鈥� measured approach while crafting this legislation. By working together, we can achieve our shared goal of improving recycling for materials with low recycling rates without disrupting the effective systems that are already in place for highly recycled materials, like paper and paper packaging products.
鈥淭he paper and paper packaging recycling system is robust in Maine and throughout the country. In 2023, an impressive 65-69% of all paper was recovered for recycling nationwide. This achievement is due to the voluntary investments in manufacturing capacity made by the paper industry to ensure paper collected from municipal waste streams is recycled into new products.
鈥淲e look forward to continued dialogue with Maine鈥檚 elected officials and regulators to implement the state鈥檚 EPR program.鈥�