Maine EPR obligation

Check your own case

Choose your role, add your revenue and the packaging you supply, and the checker applies the rules this page describes to your figures. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

The Instica free plan covers the threshold check, exemption tracking, the deadline calendar, packaging templates and fee sources, so you can start without paying. See what the free plan includes

How the checker reaches a result

The checker asks the same questions in the same order for every place, and it stops with a result as soon as a question settles the matter. It never fills a missing answer in for you.

1. Whose brand is on the packaging? If it is another company's brand, you are not the producer for those goods under the roles recorded for Maine. If you have not said, the checker asks first.
2. Do you sell into Maine? A place where you report no sales returns not obligated.
3. Does a size limit apply? The checker compares your revenue or packaging weight with each limit on record and, where a limit is not met, returns below threshold.
4. Is an exemption on record for your case? An exemption that is not yet verified is never assumed, and the checker asks for more data instead.
5. Are related companies counted together? Where the rules add up affiliated companies, their figures are combined before the limits are compared.

Who is the producer in Maine?

The first question is whose duty it is. Maine assigns the duty by packaging level, and the table shows which roles count as the producer at each level.

• Maine: for primary (sales) packaging the producer is the manufacturer, brand owner, importer, or franchisor.

Find the row that describes you. Where more than one role appears in a row, the checker asks whose brand is on the product before it gives a result.

Does revenue matter in Maine?

Size limits in Maine

Some rules switch the duty on or off by size. These are the limits on record for Maine, each with what happens when you meet it.

The revenue limit: $2,000,000

Maine: the revenue limit is $2,000,000. Maine: at the revenue limit of $2,000,000, the producer is exempt below it. Maine: the revenue limit of $2,000,000 applies to figures below it. Maine: the revenue limit is counted as follows: total gross revenue, prior calendar year.

The tonnage limit: 1 short ton

Maine: the tonnage limit is 1 short ton. Maine: at the tonnage limit of 1 short ton, the producer is exempt below it. Maine: the tonnage limit of 1 short ton applies to figures below it. Maine: the tonnage limit is counted as follows: packaging material sold into Maine, prior calendar year.

The tonnage limit: 15 short tons

Maine: the tonnage limit is 15 short tons. Maine: at the tonnage limit of 15 short tons, a reduced obligation applies. Maine: the tonnage limit of 15 short tons applies to figures below it. Maine: the tonnage limit is counted as follows: packaging material, prior calendar year; more than one ton and under 15 tons.

Exemptions in Maine

An exemption removes the duty for a producer that meets its conditions. Some must be applied for; others apply on their own.

Exemption 1

Exemption 1: A nonprofit organisation exempt under 501(c)(3) is not a producer. Maine: exemption 1 applies without an application.

What the rules cover in Maine

A duty applies only to the packaging and the sales channels that the rules cover. This is what is on record for Maine.

Maine: the rules cover these sales channels: physical retail, remote sales, and other distribution. Maine: a producer may pass the duty to another party under the rules.

Every case, worked through

Below, the same engine that powers the checker is run on a set of standard cases for Maine. Each case states the input, the result and the next step. The figures are test inputs set at half, equal to and twice each recorded limit, read as of September 29, 2026; they are not rules.

Revenue of $1,000,000: below the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and your revenue is $1,000,000, half the limit of $2,000,000. The figure is under the $2,000,000 limit, so the engine returns below threshold: the exemption on record applies. Result: below threshold. Next: keep the figures that put you below the limit, and check again as you grow.

Revenue of $2,000,000: exactly at the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and your revenue is $2,000,000, exactly the limit of $2,000,000. The rules for Maine set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Revenue of $4,000,000: above the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and your revenue is $4,000,000, twice the limit of $2,000,000. The rules for Maine set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Packaging of 0.5 short tons: below the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 0.5 short tons of packaging, half the limit of 1 short ton. The figure is under the 1 short ton limit, so the engine returns below threshold: the exemption on record applies. Result: below threshold. Next: keep the figures that put you below the limit, and check again as you grow.

Packaging of 2 short tons: above the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 2 short tons of packaging, twice the limit of 1 short ton. The rules for Maine set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Packaging of 7.5 short tons: below the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 7.5 short tons of packaging, half the limit of 15 short tons. The rules for Maine set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Packaging of 30 short tons: above the limit

Your own brand is on the goods and you supply 30 short tons of packaging, twice the limit of 15 short tons. The rules for Maine set a limit that needs a figure this case does not supply, such as a different measure or unit, so the engine asks for more data. Result: more data needed. Next: supply the missing answer in the checker to get a result.

Above every limit

Your own brand is on the goods and every figure is above every limit on record. The limit is met, so the engine returns obligated. Result: obligated. Next: register, report and pay as the sections below describe, and prepare your figures in a workspace.

If you owe: what happens next

If the result is obligated, these are the steps on record for Maine. You register, report and pay yourself; Instica prepares the figures and the files.

Maine: registration is made with Producers register with the stewardship organization (not yet contracted). Maine: registration is made by this party: The producer.

Maine: producers meet the duty through a single producer responsibility organisation. Maine: membership of an organisation is not required. Maine: an authorised representative is not required.

Deadlines on record

• Maine: the reporting deadline is May 31, 2027.
• Maine: the payment deadline is July 1, 2027.