AUGUSTA — Representative Vicki Doudera, D-Camden, introduced Monday environmental legislation aimed at increasing post consumer recycled plastic content in beverage containers, a measure that addresses the burgeoning amount of plastic in our environment and helps promote a more circular recycling economy for Maine.

LD 479, “An Act To Promote a Circular Economy through Increased Postconsumer Recycled Plastic Content in Plastic Beverage Containers,” creates a minimum post-consumer recycled content requirement (PCR) for all plastic beverage containers sold in Maine beginning with 25% PCR by 2026 and increasing to 30% by 2031.

By focusing on the same plastic beverage containers currently covered in Maine’s bottle bill, the legislation will benefit municipalities, waste haulers, sorting facilities, recycling processors and beverage manufacturers, many of whom are already moving toward post-consumer recycled content goals, according to a news release. 

“We are in the midst of a plastic bottle explosion and this alone is an environmental crisis. The same properties that make plastics so versatile in so many ways make these materials difficult or impossible for our environment to absorb,” said Rep. Doudera in her testimony to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. “Back in 2004, beverage companies produced 239 billion plastic bottles. That total had more than doubled by 2017 to 494 billion, and the trend continues, with plastic bottle production predicted to hit 594 billion by 2022. That means bottlers will be churning out more than 1.6 billion plastic bottles every day.”

Without well-crafted management strategies for end-of-life plastics, Rep. Doudera said the planet stands to accumulate billions of metric tons of material across all major terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

“While most bottles and other plastic items are made of recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (or PET), the problem is that very little of the material has been returned for reprocessing or reuse,” she said. “Using recycled PET plastic to make new containers, instead of using new virgin PET plastic, not only reduces the volume of plastics in our oceans, woods, beaches and backyards, but can cut carbon pollution by as much as 67%. It is a commonsense approach to the plastics problem and I look forward to having the bill progress.”

Rep. Doudera represents District 94, the towns of Camden, Islesboro, and Rockport. She is the chair of the Gun Safety Caucus and serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Doudera is in her second term.