Juniper Ridge Landfill

Environmental activists have criticized Casella Waste Systems' management of the site and how it handles toxic sludge in recent years. Its proposed expansion and acceptance of out-of-state trash has also faced criticism from locals who worry about the landfill's environmental impact on their area.

The Old Town Fire Department says a neighbor reported the blaze around 8 pm and that crews were there for four-and-a-half hours.

State environmental officials say they support a two-year suspension of new restrictions on out-of-state waste.

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 Senate unanimously approved the proposal late last week. The House of Representatives approved the bill in a 102-25 vote on Monday, and a spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills said on Tuesday that she'll sign it.

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.