Maine Municipal Opt-In Runs Near 18 Percent as Stewardship Organization Selection Proceeds

Maine DEP survey data shows roughly 80 municipalities, about 18 percent of the state's total and including Portland and South Portland, have indicated they will participate in the packaging EPR program. Twenty declined and the majority did not respond. DEP's tracker places the program at step four of nine, contracting with a Stewardship Organization, with producer registration and invoicing anticipated by the end of 2026 and municipal reimbursements potentially beginning by the end of 2027. Because producer fees fund municipal reimbursement, participation levels are a direct signal on the size of the Maine cost base in year one. Proposals in response to DEP's Stewardship Organization RFP remain due August 3, 2026. Source: Bangor Daily News (July 20, 2026).

(Corrected October 7, 2026: Maine DEP gives the proposal deadline as August 18, 2026 at 4:00 p.m., not August 3.)

Update, October 7, 2026: the Stewardship Organization RFP closed August 18, 2026 with no proposals (Maine DEP, August 20, 2026). On September 11, 2026 DEP said it is revising the RFP, and its program page says it is reassessing the anticipated schedule and will post a revised one, so do not plan on the end-of-2026 registration and invoicing dates above. See the August 23, 2026 entry, No One Bid to Run Maine Packaging EPR Program.