BANGOR, ME -- Maine Governor John Baldacci this week will sign into law the state's first extended producer responsibility framework legislation, establishing a process for creating product stewardship programs for hard-to-recycle products and packaging and moving the physical and financial responsibility for managing old products from the general taxpayer to producers and consumers.

LD 1631 applies the principle of producer responsibility for managing products when consumers are done with them, to reduce lifecycle impacts. 

Maine's new law will bring to 19 the number of states with laws for discarded electronics products that require producers to finance or manage collection and responsible recycling.