Ecomaine, a solid waste and recycling manager for dozens of Maine communities located on outer Congress Street in Portland, was started in 1976 when four communities pooled their resources to close hazardous landfills and centralize and modernize how Maine disposed of their trash. They created a waste energy plant to burn trash diverted from those landfills to produce energy in an efficient, environmentally conscious manner that is then both used on site and sold back to the ISO New England grid.
The Town of Gorham became a part of the Owner Member Community of Ecomaine in the 1980’s giving them a seat on the board and a vote on policies and procedures.
In the late 80s they began to focus on recycling as an additional way to reduce the amount of trash destined for landfills across the state eventually building Maines largest single sort recycling facility.
Recently they’ve upped their game yet again with the creation of a new program and its huge popularity has caught them by surprise. They invented a new Master Recycler curriculum, similar to the Master Gardener program already in place.
“The goal was to build a group of educators that could go out in their communities and spread the word about recycling and all its benefits as well as to make it easier for the average person to recycle on a routine basis,” said Matt Grondin, Ecomaine’s Communications Manager
To become a Master Recycler all that is required is a desire to be a community advocate and to complete an approximately 20-hour virtual training that consists of five chapters of material within a six month window. To learn more about the program you can email them at info@eomaine.org or go straight to their website.
Ecomaine has several other community outreach efforts as well. For teachers and students there are resources that include lesson plans, activity checklists, games and instructional videos. Tours of their facilities, which are currently virtual, can be arranged for your class, scout troop or bubble of friends.
They even hold a yearly art contest for groups or individuals to submit a design for their 22-foot grey recycling bins. Winners receive $500 and up to $500 more for materials to implement their design that will turn a huge trash can into a beautiful piece of art.
And like everything today… there’s an app for that! Recylopedia is Ecomaine’s Mobile app that gives you the quick answer to “Where does this go? Trash? Compost? Recycle?” It will even give you tips on optional ways to achieve the final goal, like how to compost in small spaces.
Climate change is upon us and as our population grows and consumption skyrockets how we choose to manage our waste cycle has a huge impact on our environment. Ecomaine has made it fun and easy to learn how you can help reduce your impact and maybe even pay it forward by becoming a Master Recycler and spreading the word.