Home → Waste Management → Programs → Product Stewardship
Maine's Product Stewardship Programs
Product stewardship is a public policy approach in which all participants involved in the life cycle of a product share responsibility for the impacts to human health and the natural environment that result from the production, use, and end-of-life management of the product. Generally, the greater the ability of a party to influence the life cycle impacts of a product, the greater the degree of that party’s responsibility. Product stewardship means taking responsibility for designing, purchasing and managing products at the end-of-life to create sustainable systems for the production and use of products.
Maine's Product Stewardship Framework law affirms product stewardship programs as an integral part of the State’s solid waste management strategy. This law sets up a pre-legislative process for considering candidates for new product stewardship programs and changes to Maine’s existing product stewardship programs. This process provides the opportunity for municipalities, manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and non-governmental organizations to provide their input into the establishment and revision of product stewardship programs in Maine.
Maine law specifies product stewardship responsibilities for end-of-life management for the following products:
- Batteries, rechargeable and non-rechargeable
- Mercury auto switches
- Electronic waste
- Cell phones
- Mercury thermostats
- Mercury-added (fluorescent) lamps
- Paint Stewardship Program
- Returnable Beverage Containers (Bottle Bill)
- Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging
- Post-Consumer Recycling
Annual Report
- Annual Product Stewardship Report 2021 [PDF]
- Annual Product Stewardship Report 2022 [PDF]
- Annual Product Stewardship Report 2023 [PDF]
- Annual Product Stewardship Report 2024 [PDF]
Waste Reduction
One way to reduce waste from your home or business is to choose products with less packaging and avoid getting products you don't need. For example, if you get phone books that you never use, some phone book publishers allow you to register on-line to "opt-out" of having a phone book automatically delivered to your home. Use Catalog Choice to let companies know that you do not want to receive some or all of their catalogs by mail or to sign up for a service that works to reduce junk mail to your home.
Learn more about Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Maine Solid Waste Diversion Grant Program provides public and private entities with grants focused on diverting materials from disposal towards higher and better uses.