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The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will hold a public meeting on June 24, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in Room 101 of the Deering Building, 90 Blossom Lane in Augusta, to solicit input on the Operations Plan submitted by The Maine Beverage Redemption Group.
The Maine Beverage Redemption Group is the organization established by commingling groups to provide for the management of all beverage containers subject to the requirements of the Maine’s Beverage Container Redemption Program (Title 38, Chapter 33: Manufacturers, Distributors, and Dealers of Beverage Containers). The Maine Beverage Redemption Group can be contacted by phone at 207-791-1281, by email at [email protected], and by mail at 254 Commercial Street, Merrill’s Wharf, Portland, ME 04101.
The Operation Plan will govern the group’s operational responsibilities with respect to Maine’s Beverage Container Redemption Program. The required components of the operations plan are outlined in 38 M.R.S. § 3107(3-B). The Operations Plan includes proposed methods for transitioning to redemption center sorting by material type and size; fairly apportioning costs, materials, and responsibilities for pick up among commingling groups and initiators of deposit; collecting deposits and handling fees; spending unclaimed deposits; determining the redemption rate; paying and picking up from redemption centers; forming an advisory board; and supporting the development of infrastructure to facilitate the use of refillable beverage containers.
Approval of the plan is subject to Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers of Beverage Containers 38 M.R.S. §§ 3101-3119, 06-096 C.M.R. ch. 426 Responsibilities under the Returnable Beverage Container Law, and 06-096 C.M.R. ch. 2 Processing of Applications and Other Administrative Matters.
The Operations Plan, which was submitted to the Department on March 12, can be viewed by appointment at the Department of Environmental Protection's office at 28 Tyson Drive in Augusta or on the Department's website at http://maine.gov/dep/sustainability/bottlebill.
Written public comments may be sent by email to [email protected] or by mail to: Maine DEP, Bottle Bill, 17 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0017 and must be received electronically by close of business on July 1, 2025, or by mail prior to July 5, 2025.
For more information on how to submit public comments with the DEP, please see: https://www.maine.gov/dep/comment/index.html.
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