Mainers like myself really want to do our part by recycling but, unfortunately, our towns are facing increasing costs that mean many are scaling down or even closing recycling programs.

LD 2104, An Act to Support and Increase the Recycling of Packaging is the best opportunity to stabilize costs to municipalities for recycling by rightly asking big corporations to share in the responsibility of managing the wasteful packaging materials entering the state.

The bottom line is that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for a waste problem they didn’t create; packaging waste is industry-driven, not consumer-driven. Even consumers who work hard to reduce their waste find that they are overwhelmed by too much packaging. Too often we have no choice in what the products we must buy come packaged in and, ultimately, we bear the environmental and economic cost.

Rep. Tom Skolfield, R-Weld, is a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee that is currently considering LD 2104 and I urge him to support the passage of this critical bill to help save Maine’s recycling programs. I hope he votes to move this bill to the House and Senate soon.

Maine towns urgently need help to keep their recycling programs open. If Maine passes LD 2104, taxpayers won’t have to choose between doing what is right for the environment and our bottom line.

Let’s do what is right for future generations.

Barbara O’Reilly, Wilton

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