State Rep. Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth) speaks to residents about a bill being drafted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection that would require companies to pay a fee to the state for packaging that is toxic or difficult to recycle. The money would be used to offset the cost of municipal recycling programs and would create a more consistent system statewide, Grohoski said. ELLSWORTH AMERICAN PHOTO BY KATE COUGH
State Rep. Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth) speaks to residents about a bill being drafted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection that would require companies to pay a fee to the state for packaging that is toxic or difficult to recycle. The money would be used to offset the cost of municipal recycling programs and would create a more consistent system statewide, Grohoski said. ELLSWORTH AMERICAN PHOTO BY KATE COUGH
By Maxwell Hauptman
ELLSWORTH — If you’re anything like most Americans, this scenario will probably sound familiar: a large Amazon box is delivered to your doorstep. You open it to reveal a smaller box, stuffed to the brim with bubble wrap, and finally, another box, wrapped in brown paper, and there it is! The bottle of shampoo you ordered, wrapped in a sheath of plastic.
“The producer is part of the process,” state Rep. Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth) told the several dozen residents who had ventured out to the Moore Community Center on a chilly evening Jan. 9. Grohoski was giving a presentation on the concept of “extended producer responsibility.”
