Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

                                                                  APPROVED                 CHAPTER
                                                                  JUNE 20, 2025                  373
                                                                 BY GOVERNOR               PUBLIC LAW
                                 STATE OF MAINE
                                          _____
                          IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                       TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
                                          _____
                                  H.P. 197 - L.D. 297
 An Act Regarding the Management of Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge
                       at the State-owned Landfill
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
    Sec. 1. 38 MRSA §1310-N, sub-§5-A, ¶B, as amended by PL 2023, c. 517, §5, is
further amended by amending subparagraph (2) to read:
       (2) A solid waste processing facility that generates residue requiring disposal shall
       recycle or process into fuel for combustion through methods other than chemical
       plastic processing all waste accepted at the facility to the maximum extent
       practicable, but in no case at a rate less than 50%. For purposes of this subsection,
       "recycle" does not include chemical plastic processing and does include, but is not
       limited to, plastic-to-plastic recycling; the reuse of waste generated within the State
       as defined in section 1303‑C, subsection 40‑A, paragraph C; the recovery of metals
       from waste; the use of waste or waste-derived product as material substitutes in
       construction; and the use of waste as boiler fuel substitutes.
       At least 50% of the waste that a solid waste processing facility characterizes as
       recycled under this subparagraph must have been reused or recycled by the facility
       through methods other than placement of the waste in a solid waste landfill, except
       that a solid waste processing facility that was in operation during calendar year
       2018, that accepts exclusively construction and demolition debris and that accepted
       more than 200,000 tons of such debris in calendar year 2018 shall:
           (a) Reuse or recycle at least 15% of such debris through methods other than
           placement in a solid waste landfill by July 1, 2024 2026;
           (b) Reuse or recycle at least 20% of such debris through methods other than
           placement in a solid waste landfill by July 1, 2025 2027;
           (c) Reuse or recycle at least 30% of such debris through methods other than
           placement in a solid waste landfill by July 1, 2026 2028;
           (d) Reuse or recycle at least 40% of such debris through methods other than
           placement in a solid waste landfill by July 1, 2027 2029; and
                                   Page 1 - 132LR0813(08)
            (e) Reuse or recycle at least 50% of such debris through methods other than
            placement in a solid waste landfill by July 1, 2028 2030.
    Sec. 2. PL 2023, c. 283, §2 is amended to read:
   Sec. 2. Temporary allowance for disposal or placement of oversized bulky
waste in landfill. Notwithstanding any provision of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title
38, section 1303-C, subsection 40-A to the contrary, for the period beginning on the
effective date of this Act June 23, 2023 and ending July 1, 2025 2027:
    1. If in any 12-month period the total weight of the residue generated by a solid waste
processing facility and disposed of or otherwise placed in a solid waste landfill exceeds the
total weight of the solid waste initially generated within the State that was processed by the
facility in that 12-month period, such excess residue, not to exceed 25,000 tons in that 12-
month period, is deemed to be waste generated within the State within the meaning of Title
38, section 1303-C, subsection 40-A, as long as that excess residue is composed of
oversized bulky waste and is disposed of or otherwise placed in a state-owned solid waste
landfill; and
    1-A. Any additional excess residue associated with the processing of the oversized
bulky waste amount identified in subsection 1 generated by the solid waste processing
facility in that 12-month period and used at a solid waste landfill, not to exceed 75,000 tons
in that 12-month period, is deemed to be waste generated within the State within the
meaning of Title 38, section 1303-C, subsection 40-A, as long as that additional excess
residue is not composed of oversized bulky waste and is used at a state-owned solid waste
landfill as daily cover; and
    2. Any excess residue, other than the excess residue identified in subsection
subsections 1 and 1-A, generated by the solid waste processing facility in that 12-month
period is deemed not to be waste generated within the State within the meaning of Title 38,
section 1303-C, subsection 40-A.
     As used in this section, "oversized bulky waste" means large items of solid waste that
are residue from processing construction and demolition debris, including, but not limited
to, household appliances, furniture and mattresses.
    Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF
Remediation and Waste Management 0247
Initiative: Provides one-time allocations to authorize the expenditure of additional revenue
from tipping fees.
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS                                        2025-26          2026-27
 All Other                                                        $150,000         $150,000
                                                               __________       __________
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL                                 $150,000         $150,000
    Sec. 4. Retroactivity. This Act applies retroactively to June 23, 2023.
                                    Page 2 - 132LR0813(08)
Statutes affected: 
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 373: 38.1310