Home / Environment / Toxic Compost Scandal Leads to Facility Closure in Maine
Toxic Compost Scandal Leads to Facility Closure in Maine
6 Oct
Summary
- Tests confirmed Maine's largest composting plant contaminated wetlands miles away with "forever chemicals"
- Casella Waste cited high cleanup costs and lack of disposal options as reasons for closure
- Contamination spread further than expected, reaching wetlands over 2 miles downstream
In October 2025, tests confirmed that Maine's largest composting plant, the Hawk Ridge Compost Facility in Unity Township, had contaminated wetlands more than 2 miles away with "forever chemicals" known as PFAS. This revelation shined a light on the broad extent of the facility's pollution, ultimately hastening its closure.
Casella Waste Management, the company that owns Hawk Ridge, cited changing regulations and a lack of facilities that could treat the tainted soil and water as reasons for the closure. Emails obtained by regulators show the company also told Maine officials that the high cost to safely clean up the site and monitor nearby homes and wetlands led it to reconsider its options, eventually deciding to wind down operations.
The contamination had spread further than initially thought, reaching wetlands over 2 miles downstream from the facility. Casella is now negotiating a closure plan with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, with little precedent to follow on how to contain such extensive environmental damage from a business like the compost operation.
