Hampden Landfill

Hampden Landfill

According to the State of Maine's web site, there are approximately 50 active landfills in the state. The majority of the landfills are in southern Maine. There are two landfills in the Penobscot county, Pine Tree Landfill Facility in Hampden and Juniper Ridge in Old Town. The Hampden landfill opened in 1975 and it was sold in 1996 to Pine Tree Landfill Facility (Casella Waste Systems Inc.). It was to stop taking waste in June 2009.

Over the years, many concerns have been identified with the Hampden landfill. When the landfill was developed, no liner was used to separate the ground from the waste. High rates of toxins, including arsenic, have been documented in the water around the landfill. There were no environmental regulations to monitor gas emissions. There were constant complaints over odors coming from the hill. Other concerns included allowing out of state waste to be dumped in Hampden. They dumped more waste into the landfill than the original application projected. The application projected that Pine Tree would accept up to 250,000 tons of waste each year. Pine Tree has more than doubled their projected waste intake. In 2002, they were putting 443,000 tons of waste in, and the next year they put in 630,000 tons of waste.

In dispute at this time with the Hampden landfill is methane emissions. Landfills are the largest source methane emissions. Landfill methane is produced when organic materials (such as yard waste landfills are responsible for between 4-15% of the global methane amount. This gas comes from household waste, food waste, and paper which are decomposed by bacteria under the absence of oxygen. Methane production varies greatly from landfill to landfill depending on site-specific characteristics such as waste in place, waste composition, moisture content, landfill design and operating practices, and climate. Unless captured first by a gas recovery system, methane generated by the landfill is emitted when it migrates through the landfill cover. During this process, the soil oxidizes approximately ten percent of the methane generated, and the remaining 90 percent is emitted.

Laws and regulations have changed over the years has concerns have been identified. An example of this is the missing liner. As mentioned above, no liner was required in 1975 when Hampden landfill was developed, however the state required a liner for Juniper Ridge due to issues noted in Hampden. The Hampden Citizens Coalition was formed in 1980 to advocate for the citizens rights and voice fears/concerns. Homeowners around the landfill have complained about the offensive odor, increased traffic and contamination caused by the landfill. With the help of the Hampden Citizens Coalition, the landfill has been closed since January 2010.

The Town of Hampden has had some