In response to state needs, UMaine researchers
analyzed alternative options to minimize the costs of dealing with
Maine’s solid wastes. The researchers found ways to reduce the costs
of processing Maine’s biomedical wastes and construction and
demolition debris. While Maine had been shipping all of its
biomedical waste out of state, their analysis showed the benefits of
an in-state facility for treating solid waste from Maine hospitals,
which the state then constructed. This facility will save citizens
of Maine close to $500,000 dollars per year. It also insulates
Maine’s hospitals from cost uncertainty, creates local employment,
and processes Maine’s biomedical waste in a more environmentally
friendly manner. Their research on construction and demolition
debris (CDD) has shown the financial benefits of municipalities
working together to process and recycle CDD. Results from the study
caused a group of Maine communities to create the legal structure
for owning and operating a facility, scheduled to be built in the
mid-coast region in 2007. This CDD recycling facility will help the
state preserve precious landfill space, save money, and provide
local employment.
