BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 25, 2021
A century ago, it seemed like a good idea. Quarries that dotted the landscape were being retired and there was a need for more landfills for waste. But decades later, the problematic nature of the rocky areas would become clear. Quarry landfills opened in Rockland, Rockport and at least one other Maine town. It’s unclear exactly how many were once in operation in the state, but today just two remain. In Rockland, a quarry landfill owned by the city is nearly at capacity and will be capped soon. In neighboring Rockport, a quarry landfill operated by Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corporation remains and is years away from closure. Both have been in use since at least the 1930s. However, with these quarries containing both trash and water, what once seemed like a good solution has become a challenging operational and environmental problem.