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On Nov. 21, Casella Waste Systems submitted a permit application to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for the proposed expansion of Juniper Ridge Landfill (JRL). This application was made despite a two-hour meeting on Sept. 29, in which Casella and staff from Maine’s Bureau of General Services (BGS) heard directly from JRL’s immediate neighbors, the Penobscot Nation, and Old Town residents about JRL’s ongoing assault on health and quality of life. This includes concerns about odors and smoke from landfill fires causing breathing problems, gunfire to scare away seagulls and eagles, dust storms, and a rat infestation. Participants demanded answers about surface runoff into wetlands, PFAS-contaminated leachate flowing into the Penobscot River, and the apparent lack of independent oversight of JRL’s management.
At the meeting’s end, BGS acknowledged that the landfill’s so-called public benefit was not for our communities, but to manage Maine’s immediate waste crisis, including burying PFAS-containing sludge from across Maine at the landfill. In short, it appears that sacrificing our health and environment is considered acceptable if Maine can continue to avoid responsible waste management for the next 11 years.
If we care about the health of our families, neighbors, and the Penobscot River watershed, we must not let our community become a PFAS dump for the rest of Maine. Being a money-maker for Casella and a pretext for Maine to avoid fully dealing with its waste issues does not justify poisoning us. I believe it’s time for Maine to invest in its existing, legislatively established, sustainable waste management strategies, rather than allowing Casella to expand the Juniper Ridge Landfill.
Daisy Goodman
Old Town