PORTLAND (AP) – Maine has yet to reach the goal it set in 1989 of recycling half its trash, but state officials maintain that the idea is still a worthy one.

“I think we need to do more, and I think we need to continue to encourage people,” said Sen. Scott Cowger, D-Hallowell, who has sponsored legislation to extend the deadline from January 2003 to January 2009. “The other option would be to eliminate any goal.”

The decision 16 years ago to set a goal did help promote recycling by providing financial incentives and technical assistance to towns to get them to set up recycling programs. The law did not include mandates or threats.

Recycling rates rose steadily through the early 1990s as Mainers got into the practice of separating their trash and heading to the transfer station with newspapers, cardboard, glass jars and other easily recycled waste.

The statewide rate peaked in 1995 at 41 percent, but has been going downhill since. It dropped to 35.5 percent in 2003, according to the most recent state data.

Towns that took easy steps such as recycling newspapers, cardboard and glass were less prone to move forward on the big ones, like recycling building debris, brush and metal. Some towns found recycling was more work, and less lucrative, than it was cracked up to be. And recycling lost some of its novelty.

“It’s not as sexy as it used to be,” said George MacDonald, director of the state Planning Office’s Waste Management and Recycling Program.

MacDonald, however, doesn’t want to give up on the goal and says there are reasons to be hopeful.

Many communities are still working to increase recycling rates with new programs and incentives. And the state overall is recycling more in weight every year, he said. It’s just that the overall supply of trash is growing at an even faster rate, especially in Cumberland and York counties, where a construction boom has put more waste into landfills and incinerators.

Some towns seem to have little problem reaching, or even exceeding, the 50 percent target.

“I kept trying to be the No. 1 town for two or three years, and it’s tough to do,” said Eric Hanscom, who works for Casco and operates the transfer station the town shares with Naples. “Three years ago we hit 74 (percent).”

One popular method of promoting recycling is to allow residents to scrounge through construction debris and other bulky waste to salvage doors, windows and other treasures, Hanscom said.

Being one of the top recycling communities in the state each year is a matter of pride, but it also means less waste going into the environment and lower costs for the town, he said. “The more you can recycle, the more you can save,” he said.