By Sally Chappell

Bridgton Recycling Committee

It surely can be agreed that change of any type is difficult. Change provokes anxiety — something we try to avoid, but when that something becomes so glaringly upsetting that it causes us misery, then change becomes not only possible but necessary.

We only have to look at societal changes in our lifetime to realize that changes can make life better to the point that going back to the old way is unthinkable. Here are a few “remember whens”:

Remember when smoking was allowed in restaurants and airplanes?

Remember when DDT was sprayed from trucks roaming through neighborhoods?

Remember when gasoline contained lead?

Remember when there were separate entrances to public facilities for “whites” and “colored”?

Remember when children with disabilities could not go to public school?

Remember when cars did not have seat belts?

We’ve reached an upsetting point when it comes to waste. There is more of it with fewer options of where to put it. Oceans have become plastic soup, landfills eventually leak, and even the best incinerators release toxins, all of which makes it more expensive to dispose of waste. 

“Throw away” must become “redirect.” The direction of items for which we no longer have use needs to be: recycle it, compost it, give it away, upcycle it and choose products that have a low or no waste potential.

Importantly, our personal efforts need to be in combination with corporate efforts to reduce waste. This is where the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (EPR for Packaging) law that was passed last year by the Maine Legislature will hold large corporations accountable for their contribution to the waste increases we are all seeing. Consult the Natural Resources Council of Maine for a detailed description of how the new law will work and why it is important to continue recycling. 

For more information on how to recycle, go to Bridgton’s town website: www.bridgtonmaine.org/trash-recycling/

Pay Per Bag will help us redirect our waste and save taxpayers money at the same time. Adopting new habits like recycling and composting may be difficult at first, but any avid recycler and composter will tell you how satisfying it is to take this big step toward less wasteful living. Waste not; want not.