Juniper Ridge wants to treat its toxic runoff 20 miles away

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 21, 2026

The operators of the Juniper Ridge Landfill have alarmed environmental and community groups with plans to move a proposed PFAS treatment system to an offsite location, requiring the facility to truck its toxic runoff 20 miles away. The treatment system is a key requirement for approval of a 61-acre expansion permit that environmental organizations and abutters are currently fighting in court. Opponents learned of the plan to truck leachate from the landfill in Old Town and Alton to the Pine Tree Landfill in Hampden through a document filed in court and with state regulators by the company that runs Juniper Ridge. “That brings into question new environmental and public health concerns because you’re transporting massive amounts of leachate 20 miles south,” said Nora Bosworth, a lawyer for the Conservation Law Foundation.