A Hampden trash plant is scheduled to reopen in six to eight weeks, five years after it closed.
The plant will start accepting small amounts of trash as it ramps up to full operation by the end of this year, said Michael Carroll, executive director of the Municipal Review Committee, which is a group of 115 cities and towns.
The MRC operates the plant, Municipal Waste Solutions, which closed in 2020. The committee partnered with Innovative Resource Recovery, LLC, a subsidiary of White Oak Global Advisors, an investment firm that has the backing of billions of dollars.
Hampden’s plant reopening should divert trash from Juniper Ridge Landfill, which started accepting waste from numerous towns following the closure of the Hampden plant and then the Orrington trash incinerator. The landfill is trying to expand as it sprints toward capacity faster than planned, and the Orrington plant is working on repairs so it can reopen after a 10-day fire in October caused extensive damage.
Loaders and material handlers should arrive at the Hampden plant in the coming weeks, followed by transport trucks and trailers, Carroll said. He said “ramp-up” waste to test the plant will start arriving in early April. Most of that waste will still be transferred to other facilities for disposal.
By the end of the year, the plant will be fully operational, meaning no waste will be transferred, he said.
The plant will have traditional recycling operations for various materials. A gas line is already connected to the facility so it can install a 6 million gallon anaerobic digestion tank in 2026, Carroll said.
“We’re very excited,” Carroll said. “Our members are excited. Things are really starting to take shape.”
There are some modifications that may be made to the plant that will require additional licenses before the facility can start accepting waste, said David Madore, the deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The $80 million facility is still in good shape and the new investment partner has the experience and financial resources to help get everything operational, Carroll said.
“They’re very driven and want to see as much diversion of waste as possible because it’s more successful the more waste that can be processed, [rather] than that leaves the facility,” Carroll said.
The town of Hampden will send its waste to the plant, which it has done during the restart and equipment testing, Town Manager Paula Scott said.
Trash going to landfills is a problem for multiple towns, not just Hampden, Scott said. The reopening of the Hampden plant will help change that.
“We are fully supportive of the forward thinking technology of the MWS facility and are eagerly waiting for the commercial operation to begin, which will recycle more material, produce waste to energy, and reduce the effects of landfills on the environment,” Scott said.
Correction: An earlier version of this report misspelled David Madore’s last name.