ME LD2036

Redemption centers must transition from sorting beverage containers by brand to sorting by material type (and by size/deposit value for manual sorting) by October 1, 2026, contingent on at least 90% of deposit initiators providing auditable sales data to the commingling cooperative by June 30, 2026

The commingling program may negotiate agreements with redemption centers to collect brand data through reverse vending machines or account-based bulk processing, with data collection costs paid by the program

Department of Environmental Protection review of the commingling cooperative's operation plan is explicitly excluded from being treated as a license, permit, or final agency action, exempting it from standard application processing rules

Cooperative must implement approved plans by January 15, 2026; failure to do so subjects member deposit initiators to penalties under section 3111

All changes apply retroactively to January 1, 2025