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Maine lawmakers hold public hearing on bill to ban plastic water bottles


There is a bill to ban plastic water bottles in Maine. (WGME)
There is a bill to ban plastic water bottles in Maine. (WGME)
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PORTLAND (WGME) – There is a bill to ban plastic water bottles in Maine.

Bill aims to ban single-serving plastic water bottles in Maine

Monday, lawmakers held a public hearing on the bill and heard some of the pros and cons.

Bottled water is the largest selling beverage in Maine and across the U.S. If this bill passes, Maine would become the first state to ban single use, plastic water bottles.

"I really like the idea of encouraging people in Maine to drink tap water," Orrs Island resident James Roux said.

Middle-aged Mainers remember a time when the only water you could drink was from a faucet.

Now, bottled water is big business, one that some state lawmakers want to reign in.

"My suggestion is that we explore alternatives to that packaging, such as boxed water or aluminum cans," Environmental/Natural Resources Chair Sen. Stacy Brenner (D) said.

This bill would prohibit the sale and distribution of water in plastic containers of one liter or less.

"There's certainly other options that we should look at besides wasting all these bottles," Morrill resident David Gibson said.

Water bottles are up to 30 percent of the recyclables at the redemption center in South Portland.

"Nobody can take 20-30 percent hit in volume and stay in business," Don Cook of Rolando’s Redemption Center said. "It would cost me $46,000 a year, which means I would close."

What's unusual is that under this bill, carbonated, sugary and flavored beverages, which some might argue are not as healthy for you, could still be sold in plastic bottles.

"Either the plastic bottles are bad or they're not," Cook said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection says 75-87 percent of all plastic water bottles sold in Maine are recovered and recycled.

"Everything in there is recyclable," Cook said.

The Maine Trucking Union worries this bill would give Poland Spring a reason to stop investing in Maine.

Water rights activists worry about sale of Poland Spring

"This and other Poland Spring-focused bills puts jobs and economic opportunity at risk," Brian Park of the Maine Trucking Union said.

Still, some think Maine should reduce plastic pollution.

“I mean, it's obviously an issue. I see it all the time out here with just walking the beach and stuff. It looks pretty nasty, so might not be such a bad idea," Scarborough resident Bert Bronn said.

Others prefer the taste and convenience of bottled water.

"It's handy. You're out there walking with your kids or whatever. I don't know. They just make like a little more difficult, I think. Leave well enough alone, I say," Scarborough resident Annie Doyle said.

An attorney for the Maine Beverages Association says plastic water bottles account for 0.33 percent of all waste produced in the United States. He questions why this bill singles out plastic water bottles.

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