The expansion of Juniper Ridge under Casella perpetuates harms against the Penobscot Nation, who are the original stewards of these lands and waters dating back over 10,000 years. We add our voice to the assertion that there is no public benefit, quite the opposite.”
For years, Casella Waste Systems’ Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town and Alton, Maine, has contaminated nearby communities, including the Penobscot Nation, whose families have stewarded these lands and waters for generations. Residents report severe air pollution, foul odors, and accidental fires that rain ash into yards, causing burning eyes and sore throats – not to mention landfill runoff tainting the Penobscot River with toxic “forever chemicals.”
Casella’s proposed expansion would add a staggering amount of trash to a landfill already threatening the Penobscot River and surrounding communities. Photo: Ecophotography.
Casella’s push to expand the landfill even further – to add space to handle the equivalent of 8.6 Empire State Buildings worth of trash – threatens to worsen current environmental hazards. The company insists neighbors will benefit. They won’t. The Penobscot Nation and nearby communities already bear an unjust share of environmental burdens. This expansion would only pile more harm onto their lands, waters, and health.
CLF in Action
Across New England, communities are pushing back against polluting waste facilities that threaten their air, water, and quality of life. CLF is with them. From Maine to Massachusetts to New Hampshire, we’re working alongside residents and local advocates to stop facilities that heap pollution onto neighborhoods already shouldering more than their fair share.
Community members rally outside Penobscot Superior Court in support of environmental justice for communities near the Juniper Ridge Landfill.
Every community deserves clean air, water, and a voice in what happens in their neighborhood – and we’re fighting to make sure they get it.
Progress: Making Way for People’s Voices
In Maine, that fight has centered on Juniper Ridge. CLF has worked shoulder to shoulder with the Penobscot Nation, Maine residents, and local grassroots groups to stop Casella’s expansion. We successfully pushed to open public meetings to virtual attendees so more neighbors could weigh in – and to extend comment deadlines so communities would have more time to be heard. We also pushed the state to demand more details from Casella, including its plans to manage toxic chemicals from the landfill that could seep into the Penobscot River.
Despite the court’s clear direction to account for the full picture of harm, Maine’s environmental regulators again gave the expansion a green light in March 2026. CLF and the Penobscot Nation are now back in court. On July 24, we head to Penobscot Superior Court to argue that the agency got it wrong again – and hold the state accountable to stop this expansion for good.
Nora Bosworth, staff attorney at CLF; Chuck Loring Jr., director of natural resources for the Penobscot Nation; and Alexandra St. Pierre, vice president for environmental justice at CLF, outside Penobscot Superior Court.
Casella has spent two decades filling the landfill with toxic substances and importing massive volumes of debris into our communities. It’s time for the state to step up: first, by saying no to this landfill expansion, then by ending the contract with Casella, and finally, by protecting our right to enjoy the long-term, healthy environment we all deserve.
Before you go... CLF is working every day to create real, systemic change for New England’s environment. And we can’t solve these big problems without people like you. Will you be a part of this movement by considering a contribution today? If everyone reading our blog gave just $10, we’d have enough money to fund our legal teams for the next year.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of Conservation Law Foundation, our boards, or our supporters.
