Maine E-waste Law

Update: Jun 20, 2011 - ME - Legislature Passes E-Scrap Expansion, Overturns LePage's Veto

Maine Governor John Baldacci signed Maine's e-waste bill, LD 1892, into law on April 20, 2004. This law is called An Act to Protect Public Health and the Environment by Providing for a System of Shared Responsibility for the Safe Collection and Recycling of Electronic Waste. 

The law was implemented in January 2006, with a disposal ban for all monitors and television sets effective July 2006.

The law required manufacturers, consumers and municipalities to share responsibility for the recycling of computer monitors and televisions generated as wastes by households in Maine. Municipalities are required to send waste computer and television monitors to consolidation centers that are fully funded by manufacturers. The manufacturers also pay to ship and recycle the electronic waste according to Maine's environmentally sound recycling guidelines. Manufacturers cover costs apportioned according to the number of their units.

The law was modified in 2009 to clarify television manufacturer responsibility to pay for market share.  LD 1156 was sponsored by Senator Deborah Simpson, and signed into law June 2009. It went into effect January 1, 2010.

   Covered Devices: TVs, computer monitors or anything that has a display greater than 4" or contains a circuit board, and laptops. 
    View Chaptered Law (LD 1892, 2004)
    View Updated Law (LD 1156, 2009)
    Maine Department of Environmental Protection