A legal loophole in Maine's Waste management laws has allowed for Maine to become a toxic dumping ground for the northeast. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from out of state are dumped in the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town--increasing pollution, leading to landfill expansions, and threatening sites of cultural and spiritual significance to the Penobscot Nation. Residents in the area banded together to form the community group Don't Waste ME and are fighting back.
Sarah Nichols, the Sustainable Maine Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Dana Colihan, the Maine State Director at Community Action Works, and Ed Spencer, chair of Don't Waste ME will join us to share about their fight to close the out of state loophole, address this environmental injustice, and how you can help their efforts this session.