BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 18, 2022
An Old Town landfill that’s taking in more wastewater sludge contaminated with forever chemicals is asking the state to also let it take in another kind of waste that it combines with the wet sludge to contain it. The Juniper Ridge Landfill has asked the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to let it accept 82,203 tons of oversized bulky waste this year, 5,555 tons more than it was allowed to accept last year. Bulky waste includes items that are too big for standard trash bins, such as refrigerators and couches. The landfill’s operator, Casella Waste Systems, said it needs the additional oversized waste because it’s expecting more wastewater sludge that’s no longer applied to farmland because of contamination from so-called forever chemicals, also known as PFAS.