MAINE PUBLIC • March 8, 2023
Representatives for Casella Waste System told lawmakers on Wednesday that the potential crisis over disposal of municipal sludge at state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill has "stabilized," but that short- and long-term challenges remain. Maine Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Melanie Loyzim said DEP staff has identified two lumber mills in northern Maine that can provide 300,000 cubic yards of wood waste to Casella to mix with sludge at Juniper Ridge. Loyzim there are also processes to dry or digest sludge as well as technologies to remove the forever chemicals known as PFAS. But she acknowledged that Maine needs more permanent solutions to a waste disposal problem that extends beyond Maine’s borders.