**NOTICE: Hampden Planning Board to Entertain Application for Expanding Leachate Management System
On Tuesday, November 10, 2026 the Hampden Planning Board will meet to consider a request from New England Waste Systems of Maine, LLC (NEWSME/ Casella) to expand an existing leachate management system located at the Pine Tree Landfill. The request is being made as part of an overall effort by NEWSME to expand the Juniper Ridge Landfill, a state-owned landfill located 20 miles from Hampden in West Old Town.
The application process for expanding Juniper Ridge Landfill began with a Public Benefits Determination application (a PBD) submitted to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Conditions to the PBD require NEWSME/Casella to have a PFAS treatment system that is licensed and operational before an expansion can move forward. PFAS is a toxic substance otherwise known as “forever chemicals” and includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Controversy surrounding Juniper Ridge Landfill operations has been ongoing for decades. Local residents including the Penobscot Nation have raised multiple environmental concerns about PFAS-ladened leachate, noxious odors, and poor air quality due to regular burning off of methane gases and accidental fires.
While Maine has some operational facilities to remove PFAS from drinking water, treating wastewater and industrial sludges presents a distinct, larger-scale engineering and financial challenge.
Currently, no wastewater facility in the State of Maine has the technology to remove PFAS from the landfill runoff to prevent its ultimate release into the Penobscot River.
“The people of the Penobscot Nation and our relatives already suffer the negative impacts of JRL and the pollution it creates,” states Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation. “This expansion will be yet another injustice in their history, but it is one that Maine has the chance to correct and improve.”
The planning board meeting begins at 6:00 pm at the Hampden Municipal Offices located at 106 Western Avenue, Hampden.
The Planning Board will hear Casella’s application at their meeting on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 6 PM in Council Chambers.
- The address for the meeting is 106 Western Ave, Hampden, ME 04444
- The public can also attend remotely using this link November 10, 2026, Planning Board Meeting Link (also posted on the Town of Hampden’s website calendar)
