ROCKPORT, Maine — Weeks after three towns elected not to follow the recommendation of their local officials to send their wastes to a Portland facility, regional leaders spent more than four hours Thursday night trying to determine their next steps.
In March, the Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corporation board, which serves Camden, Rockport, Lincolnville and Hope, voted to recommend that its communities enter into a contract with ecomaine of Portland for trash disposal.
But at town meetings in Camden, Rockport and Hope two weeks ago, residents rejected the recommendation of their town officials and asked for more information to make a decision. The other main option for the towns is Fiberight LLC, which wants to build a $69 million facility in Hampden that would use technology to change organic materials in trash into biogas after the glass, metal, paper and plastic are recycled.
The Municipal Review Committee, which represents towns largely in northern and eastern Maine, has aligned with Maryland-based Fiberight.
The towns’ contract with Penobscot Energy Recovery Company, which operates the incinerator in Orrington, runs through 2018.
Camden Select Board Chair John French Jr., who serves on the regional waste board, said at the meeting Thursday that nothing he has heard since the town meetings has changed his mind that ecomaine is the best choice for the communities.
“We did not do a good job of educating the people,” French said about the lead up to the town meetings.
He said Fiberight has not shown him that its project is feasible, saying it is likely another five to seven years from being able to be in operation.
Camden Select Board member Leonard Lookner, who also serves on the Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corporation board, said comments he heard from citizens were that Fiberight was a better choice for environmental reasons. Sending wastes to Portland would be a longer drive and use more energy than sending it to Hampden, citizens pointed out, he said.
Rockport Board Chair William Chapman, who also sits on the waste board, said the board needs to listen to citizens, pointing out that residents in three communities did not want to go to ecomaine. Fiberight also offers a lower tipping fee and more stable prices.
Lincolnville residents voted to go with ecomaine.
The regional solid waste board heard comments from citizens who offered advice.
Rep. Joan Welsh, D-Rockport, said Maine is a state with a lot of granite and it is not that easy to dig more holes for waste disposal. She said Fiberight can reduce the amount of wastes to be buried.
“It’s a tough decision. We’ve heard compelling discussions,” Welsh said.
Kathleen Meil of Rockport said that Maine is an innovative state and that the Fiberight proposal was innovative.
After slightly more than four hours of discussion, the Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corporation board agreed to ask the Municipal Review Committee for an extension on the June 30 deadline that had been imposed on the municipalities to make a decision.
The group said it would like to meet again this month but by the end of the night had not settled on the next date.