waste

Town officials in Orrington say an ongoing trash fire at the Eagle Point Energy Center will take several days to put out.

The Maine DEP said particle pollution in the smoke could reach unhealthy levels for sensitive groups, such as children and people with respiratory problems.

Officials are recommending that Orrington-area residents keep their windows closed if they live downwind from the fire, which could take days to extinguish.

Eagle Point Energy spokesperson Dan Cashman says the first step to reopening is to begin accepting waste, although energy production won't start until a later date.

The new majority owner of a shuttered Hampden waste facility says that it has enough funding and experience to get the plant restarted in the next year-and-a-half.

At a town hall Wednesday, the Municipal Review Committee said it has partnered with Innovative Resource Recovery, and is set to close the sale next week.

A waste incinerator in Orrington that has been struggling to repay its debts could go up for auction next month. The facility has faced a series of operating challenges in recent years, and its owners are now trying to find a buyer.

Maine's Center for Sustainability recently hosted a Repair Café in Portland. Local volunteers fix broken items for free – with the goal of reducing waste and encouraging people to keep using what they already have. It's part of a growing movement worldwide.

The Municipal Review Committee says it has partnered with a third firm, Innovative Resource Recovery, that’s already backed by a well-funded investment company.

Maine lost ground in its efforts to recycle more of its waste during the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new state report. However, some advocates are hopeful that new waste reforms passed in recent years could eventually help turn things around.