SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — When Laura Marston started to realize how much waste she went through from single-use plastics, she decided to test herself with a New Year's resolution; to see how long she could stick with reusing containers instead.
The domino effect led to her opening GoGo Refill in 2019: a low-waste retail store aimed at refilling containers and bottles rather than rebuying them.
"When you reuse a bottle just one time, you're cutting its carbon footprint in half. So we think that there are so many packages out there that are ready to use again and durable, we rather would just use what's existing," Marston said.
With more folks catching on to the green movement, a handful of bills are working their way through the legislature aimed at incentivizing reusing as well.
If passed, LD 2134 would look to re-distribute $500,000 worth of unclaimed bottle redemption funds each year back into incentives for refilling or reusing beverage containers in the state.
Rep. Allison Hepler D-M.E who cosponsored the bill, said it all started after a handful of folks wanted to launch the redemption industry into the future and do so in an eco-friendly way.
"There are a lot of opportunities for business development and resource conservation through [the] reuse of containers, which is one step higher than recycling on our state's solid waste management hierarchy," Vanessa Berry, a representative of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said in a testimony for the bill Wednesday.
However, concerns arose about whether people would buy into the concept — and if the language in the bill is too restrictive — leaving funds only up for redemption centers rather than for other businesses and organizations.
Regardless, both Hepler and Marston said they are excited about the untapped potential of reusing containers and what it means for Maine's environment.
Marston also took the time to testify in favor of a similar bill, LD 2091, which would amend certain food policy laws to allow businesses such as restaurants and retail stores to offer reusable containers if passed.
"We want 're-use' to be the norm everywhere," Marston added.
Members of the Council of Environment and Natural Resources voted unanimously in favor of LD 2134 Wednesday morning.