In 2026, Greater Bangor residents’ trash will be recycled for the first time in more than five years. Municipal 91²Ö¿â Solutions, a facility in Hampden that serves 115 towns and cities, is bringing recycling equipment online by March, Municipal 91²Ö¿âHub Executive Director Michael Carroll said.
Greater Bangor communities have been without recycling since 2020Â when the Coastal Resources of Maine plant in Hampden closed down after operating for about six months. The plant, reopened earlier this year as Municipal 91²Ö¿â Solutions by Municipal 91²Ö¿âHub, is going to begin recycling at least 50% of all trash it receives in 2026.
A material recovery facility, or a MRF (pronounced ‘murph’), will be used to sort trash from the 115 communities. The MRF was meant to be running by the end of this year, but tariffs slowed down receiving parts of the system, Carroll said. The final pieces are coming in now, meaning recycling will be back as soon as everything is put together and brought online.