Maine

Maine, with a 2009 population of 1.318 million and 35,387 square miles, which is slightly smaller than the rest of the five New England states combined, has evolved into one of the leading states with regard to pioneering innovative municipal solid waste (MSW) management policy. Maine adopted the first extended producer laws in the nation on mercury-containing products, electronic waste, and fluorescent lights, and it adopted the country's first product stewardship framework law. In addition, Maine is one of the first bottle bill states and has banned the creation or expansion of new commercial MSW landfills.

Based on 2009 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Maine is ranked 40th in population and 38th in population density, with 42.7 persons per square mile. Maine has the oldest population in the United States, with a mean age of 42.2 years, and is ranked third with 15.6 percent of the state's population over 65 years of age. Maine is ranked 49th in mean household size (2.35), ranked 32nd in mean household income ($45,734 per year), and ranked 44th in population growth from 2000 to 2009 (3.4 percent). Maine's economy is ranked 43rd with $50 billion in gross state product in 2008.

Maine's taxable retail sales in 2009 were just below $16 billion. Of this amount, 88.1 percent ($14.1 billion) was attributable to consumer consumption and less than 12 percent ($2 billion) qualified as business operations. The categories of 2009 sales were general merchandise stores (21 percent), building supply stores (14 percent), restaurant sales (14 percent), food stores (11 percent), and lodging (4 percent). Total retail sales rose each year from 2004 to 2007, declined slightly for 2008, and fell to a level below the 2004 annual sales for 2009 because of the sustained economic recession. Food stores represented the only continuous annual increase in taxable retail sales for all years 2004–2009.