Dive Brief:

• Landlords of large apartment complexes in Portland, Maine will now be required to make convenient recycling available to tenants. Those who do not offer this service will be facing fines from $50 to $150, depending upon how many violations they have previously received.
• The ordinance was first presented last year, but the City Council referred it back to the committee because landlords were initially taken aback by the proposal. A city council member said that the committee realized the landlord association should be made aware of the changes.
• The recycling mandate is part of a citywide goal to expand recycling to more residents. Currently, only single-family homes and small apartment buildings must recycle.

Dive Insight:

The ordinance would let landlords keep their existing waste contracts. Landlords will be required to participate in the single-sort recycling program by January 1, 2015. Approximately 10,000 units will have recycling services after the ordinance is adopted.