Wineries holding a Maine Direct Shipper of Wine License may have recently received correspondence from the ME Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) urging them to either comply with the DEP’s new recycling requirements right away or cancel their license.

The California Wine Institute met with the agencies involved and confirmed that neither the ME Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage & Lottery Operations (BABLO) nor the DEP will take action against DTC licensees that have not fulfilled the recycling requirements, as long as they do not ship to Maine consumers.

For holders of a ME DTC license, we recommend keeping the license in place, but not shipping direct to consumers in ME until the issues are worked out.

The DEP has acknowledged the problems and is currently working on several possible proposals to potentially ease the requirements in 2026. The DEP is also seeking public comment, and has posted information on how to comment on their recycling program on this webpage.

We will continue to monitor the evolving developments and will make further announcements once changes are implemented.

Subscribers to The Digest of Wine & Spirits Law have easy access to important state updates, which include citations to relevant regulations.

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