Casella Waste Systems

The proposed extension for the operator of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old town came under fire from area residents at a Thursday evening hearing.

State environmental officials plan to update lawmakers on Wednesday about what some view as a developing crisis over the disposal of sludge.

The private company that runs Maine's largest, state-owned landfill said it can no longer accept millions of pounds of sludge per month, forcing municipalities to change operations to avoid a potential environmental "crisis" as waste builds up at treatment plants.

The bill, approved by a 32-0 vote on Wednesday, aims to close a loophole that allowed out-of-state trash to be processed and reclassified in Maine, and then dumped in Maine’s only publicly owned landfill, Juniper Ridge, near Old Town.

Here’s a look at how out-of-state waste is getting to Maine, and what state officials are trying to do about it.

Environmental activists, neighbors of the landfill including the Penobscot Nation and a growing group of lawmakers have decried the unique set of circumstances that allow private companies to dump so much material from Massachusetts into the state facility, despite laws that were once meant to prevent that.

The Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-1 on Monday to recommend a proposal that would end those exemptions. It'll now be considered by the full Legislature.

Activists and neighbors of the state-owned Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, Maine are calling for an end to the dumping of out-of-state waste there.…