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We have lived directly across the Penobscot River in Hampden from the Orrington trash facility for more than 21 years. For the second time in two years, the Orrington trash facility formerly known as PERC, now “Eagle Point Energy Center,” caught fire.
We awoke to horrific toxic smoke and fumes surrounding our neighborhood and several towns nearby.
For the past 21 years since we’ve lived here, we have dealt with incessant noise, odors, light pollution and this behemoth of an eyesore. The sister plant to this MERC located in Biddeford shut down in 2012.
The first time it caught fire it smoldered for 10 days and caused significant respiratory distress to many of our neighbors and ourselves. This time thankfully 10 towns responded fairly quickly to extinguish it but not before all surrounding areas were doused in a plume, which likely contains heavy metals, lithium, plastics, dioxins and untold other chemicals.
I believe the town of Orrington needs to take bold action to shut this outdated facility down for good. The residents of these surrounding towns deserve to live in a clean toxic-free environment.
Our lovely Penobscot River has been under assault for decades with this plant as well as the Mallinckrodt Super Fund site just up river from PERC. I personally am a cancer survivor and I know of many other cases in our direct neighborhood and have to consider this toxic site as a potential contributor.
We must think and act progressively in the handling of solid waste going forward to prevent this type of disaster.
Pam Tremblay
Hampden