PORTLAND — Ecomaine honored six people March 22 representing the towns of Jay, Monmouth and Readfield for their contributions to preserving local ecology with the 2011 eco-Excellence Award.

Ecomaine is a municipally-owned, nonprofit organization, which owns and runs a single-sort recycling facility in Maine, a landfill/ash fill site and a waste-to-energy plant that produces electricity.

Selectmen Warren Bryant and Tim DeMillo, Transfer Station Supervisor Todd Hiscock, and Public Works Director John Johnson, all of Jay, received community awards for serving on a town committee to research and investigate single-sort recycling for possible use in Jay. Each one spent hours of volunteer time to make sure a decision to switch to single sort was made in the best interest of Jay citizens, according to a news release. As a result of their efforts, the town projects a budget decrease of $300,000, without any loss of jobs.

The nomination was made by the Jay Board of Selectmen and Town Manager Ruth Cushman.

Readfield resident John Parker received the eco-Excellence Award for his town for his voluntary services at the transfer station Stop and Shop Swap Shop. He was credited with spending hours every week to organize and display reusable items brought to the transfer station. He also takes the time to deliver excess items to other organizations, such as Goodwill Industries and local schools.

Parker was nominated by the Readfield/Wayne Solid Waste & Recycling Committee.

Monmouth employee Trudie Lee was nominated by Public Works Director Herbert Whittier, who said Lee had been going “above and beyond to explain our recycling process with taxpayers using the facility.” She also made the station more inviting by planting flowers in compost that originated at the transfer station.

A luncheon was held at the ecomaine offices in Portland to honor all the winners from all 24 participating municipalities. Chairman of the ecomaine Board Michael Bobinsky and Recycling Committee Chair Troy Moon presented each winner with a framed award and a fleece jacket made from recycled plastic.

Joanna Basinger of Scarborough was the Grand Award winner for her free website called Closest Closet (closestcloset.com). She received a white rocking chair — made in Biddeford from recycled plastic lumber — with a plaque identifying the award and noting that the chair was “made using 195 HDPE (#2) milk jugs.”

The Best Business Award went to Goodwill Industries of Northern New England and was accepted by Bob Frederick, director of logistics and operations. Michelle Smith was the nominator.

A special award for “exemplary business practices” was presented to Paul Bell, president of Conversion Products, located in Biddeford, and manufacturer of the Grand Award rocking chair. Both business awards were engraved with glass plates made from recycled glass.