BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 26, 2026
State regulators will be using an outdated rule to review a plan to close a heavily contaminated compost plant in central Maine, worrying environmentalists that the area and its surroundings will not be adequately cleaned up. The rule, which was last updated in 2018, requires removal of compost and wastes and reducing soil contamination. It does not cover the cleanup of wetlands and ecosystems near Hawk Ridge Compost Facility in Unity Township that state tests have shown are contaminated with high levels of forever chemicals. State tests also showed that high PFAS levels were detected at least eight miles downstream of Hawk Ridge.