Maine has long been a national leader in environmental stewardship, and our bottle bill, first enacted in 1976, has been one of our proudest accomplishments. It’s helped reduce litter, encourage recycling and set a strong precedent for responsible policy. But even the best-intended laws can have unintended consequences. We’re seeing that play out in real time now.

The latest revision to Maine’s bottle bill, which took effect July 1, 2025, expands redemption requirements to include all direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine shipments. Under the new rules, out-of-state wineries must register as Initiators of Deposit (IODs), apply Maine-approved stickers to every bottle, track and remit deposits, coordinate with in-state commingling agents and submit annual reporting, all under the threat of significant fines for noncompliance.

The goal, ensuring that all beverage containers are responsibly recycled, is noble and good. But the execution is not. In fact, these changes are already creating a chilling effect on consumer choice and access. I’ve experienced this firsthand.

In just the past month, all three small wineries where we hold memberships have stopped shipping to Maine. These are not corporate giants with legal teams and nationwide distribution systems. They’re small, family-run vineyards that rely heavily on DTC sales to stay afloat. They also happen to be among the most environmentally responsible producers I’ve encountered, using dry farming to conserve water, planting rose bushes to naturally deter pests instead of using chemicals and packaging wine in compostable materials.

These wineries want to do the right thing, for the planet and for their customers, but Maine’s DTC compliance framework is now simply too burdensome. It’s a Maine-only system, riddled with complex requirements that do not exist anywhere else. For small producers, it’s not just costly, it’s unworkable.

Rather than risk noncompliance and steep penalties, they’ve chosen to cut Maine off entirely. That’s not just a loss for me as a wine lover, it’s a loss for Maine’s economy, for our consumers and, ironically, for our sustainability goals.

DTC wine sales in Maine are modest but meaningful: about 24,000 cases per year and nearly $500,000 in annual state tax revenue. But beyond the numbers, these shipments offer something Maine’s wine shelves often can’t: unique, hand-crafted wines at fair prices. Removing that access doesn’t make us greener. It just limits choice and quality to Maine residents. There is merit to reviewing the legality of the legislation’s latest revision under Granholm v. Heald, 2005.

Unlike California, which implemented its own bottle bill with flexibility for smaller shippers, Maine’s rollout offers no off-ramp for small, out-of-state wineries trying to comply in good faith. In effect, we’ve created a system that punishes the very producers who are often the most environmentally conscious.