Maine's State-owned Landfills

Carpenter Ridge Landfill

The undeveloped Carpenter Ridge Landfill (CRL) is in the western part of Township 2, Range 8 which lies west of the Town of Lincoln.  In planning for the development of a solid waste disposal facility for Maine, the former Maine Waste Management Agency studied possible landfill sites in Maine and selected this site.  The proposed landfill has a permitted capacity of 1.8 million cubic yards. 

The original concept of CRL was to serve the State as a `safety net’ or `reserve capacity’ facility for solid waste disposal in Maine.  The Legislature reaffirmed its support for the concept of a state-owned special waste facility when dismantling the Maine Waste Management Agency in 1995.

The site is approximately two miles west of the Interstate 95 Exit 55.  The nearest home is approximately 7,000 feet (straight line distance) from the proposed site boundary.  The straight-line distance from site boundary and the Town of Lincoln is approximately seven and a half miles. 

Juniper Ridge Landfill 

The Juniper Ridge Landfill (JRL) is owned by the State of Maine and is located in Old Town, Maine.  JRL was originally operated by Fort James/GP between December 1996 and February 2004. On February 5, 2004, the operating licenses of the JRL were transferred to the Maine State Planning Office (SPO) as part of a purchase and sales agreement between the State of Maine and Fort James/GP. On February 5, 2004, the State of Maine, through the State Planning Office, finalized an operating services agreement with NEWSME for the operation of the JRL.

The facility was originally permitted for the disposal of pulp and papermaking residuals from the Fort James/GP’s Old Town mill (primarily wastewater treatment plant sludge), bottom ash from Lincoln Pulp & Paper, and burn pile ash from the City of Old Town transfer station. In addition to the waste streams historically disposed of at the landfill, the landfill is now permitted to receive non-hazardous solid waste streams generated in Maine.

JRL’s permitted solid waste footprint consists of approximately 122 acres. Sixty-eight acres were approved with the originally permitted JRL footprint, with an additional 54 acres approved with the 2017 expansion. The landfill infrastructure includes a two mile primary access road, a maintenance/administration building, several storage buildings, a dual scale house, a former leachate storage pond now used for stormwater detention, a leachate storage tank, four leachate pump stations, multiple detention/sedimentation ponds, a construction material laydown area, a landfill gas flare, Thiopaq and Sulfa Treat gas scrubbing systems, a storage/processing pad for clean wood debris and railroad ties, and a perimeter access road. A Renewable Natural Gas Processing Facility which will convert landfill gas to beneficial use and is anticipated to be online in 2024. 

Dolby Landfill

The Dolby Solid Waste Landfill facility consists of three landfill sites (Dolby I, Dolby II, and Dolby III), which are located on the east side of Route 157, approximately two and half miles northwest of the center of East Millinocket, Maine. The Dolby I Landfill received a license from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 1975 and occupies about 23 acres southwest of Dolby II and III. The principal waste streams at Dolby I were wastewater sludges, wood room/woodyard waste, wood ash, and general rubbish from the Millinocket and East Millinocket mills. The final cover was placed over Dolby I in 1980-1981.

The Dolby II Landfill is immediately east and upslope of the Dolby III Landfill. Dolby II was licensed by the DEP in 1978 and occupies about 75 acres. The principal waste streams for Dolby II were the same as with Dolby I except for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that was received from the towns of Millinocket and East Millinocket. The final cover was placed over the Dolby II waste in 1987.

Construction of Dolby III began in 1984 and was licensed to receive waste in 1987.Dolby III occupies nearly 72 acres and has been operated in stages consisting of 17 waste cells. The original waste streams at Dolby III were wastewater sludges, wood room / woodyard waste, wood ash, general rubbish from the Millinocket and East Millinocket mills and MSW from the local communities.  The disposal of MSW was discontinued in 1993 due to a change in the solid waste regulations. 

The final cover for Dolby III began with phase I final cover of approximately 25.2 acres which was completed in the fall of 2016. Phase II and III final cover was completed in 2022 and 2023 respectively, covering approximately 32 acres.  Phase IV final cover will be completed in the fall of 2024 and will include the remaining 10 acres of Dolby III.  The final cover will significantly reduce the amount of leachate from the Dolby Landfill.