Pine Tree Landfill

The Pine Tree Landfill

by: Emily Robson

The Pine Tree Landfill sits at 358 Emerson Mill Road in Hampden, Maine and has sat there for more than 35 years. The Landfill was once started by a man named Tom Sawyer back in 1974 for the disposal of solid waste for Hampden residences. The landfill at this time had specific guidelines as to what types of waste were allowed to be dropped off to sit on this spot in Hampden. But in 1996, Casella Waste bought the small landfill in Hampden and expanded the landfill. Casella brought waste from all over Maine and out of State and deposited the waste on 358 Emerson Mill Road. The last waste deposit that was left at the Hampden location happened on December 31, 2009. Even though the waste deposits have ceased, there are problems that will remain and problems that will appear for the small town of 6,000 residence. “The Closure Project” is expected to take place in the first six months of 2010. The project’s goal is to effectively shut down the site. The company is planning on installing gas lines to eliminate odors that seep through-out the town, this process includes digging up waste that was brought to Maine years ago. Although the Pine Tree Landfill is in the shut down process it doesn’t mean that waste will cease to be brought to Maine. The sister Landfill to Pine Tree sits in Old Town, Maine and is called the “Juniper Ridge Landfill.” The effects of living around a landfill are unknown, the chemicals they use to fight against the odors have not yet shown any side effects. If the waste were to meet any town water or to seep into farming soil this would be a different story. Many neighbors to the landfill have received benefits from the Casella Waste Company, such as a continuous supply of bottled water and annual property tax rebates. Casella currently tests offsite for environmental damage but once the facility completely closes down these benefits will disappear as well.  When interviewing a woman who lives in a neighborhood about 5 miles away from the Pine Tree Landfill, she said that she was “thrilled that the landfill was closing.” She also went on to mention that she felt like “trash mountain” was an enormous eye sore for the town. When asked if she could ever smell the Landfill, she said, “ I often smell the Trash mountain in my neighborhood. It smells of a foul odor and often smells like chemicals. She is unsure if there are any health risks that come along with living in a town with a massive landfill. “I’m sure we will find out soon enough,” she added as the interview ended.  It is said on the Casella Waste website that, Casella is working with local and state governments to design and construct “environmentally sound landfill deposal facilities.” It also says that Casella is responsible for “managing over 3 million tons of waste each year.”  Reading through the Casella website it seems that the company insists that landfills will certainly not disappear and that their company can provide environmental friendly waste systems. On the company’s landfill locator, it shows ten active landfill sites in New England.With landfills surrounding the New England area, the landfills may be a bigger problem than the two currently in the state of Maine. 

With the “Closure Project” underway for the Pine Tree Landfill, there is only one thing the residence of Hampden can do. And that is to wait and see what the effects have on the environment, to their neighbors and to themselves.