Some Milton citizens wary of landfill proposal

Graphic shows proposed landfill site and proximity to a local aquifer. (Courtesy image)

MILTON - There is a special Board of Selectmen's meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. to discuss a proposal to allow a 54-acre landfill on Piggott Hill Road, on 229 acres of land. The land is not currently zoned for landfill use.

The proposal is from RE Energy Holdings LLC of Latham, N.Y., a company that recycles construction and demolition material. It owns several recycling centers and many bio-energy companies, but this proposal is for a landfill. The company already owns facilities in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Connecticut.

Traffic consisting of up to 10 48-foot tractor-trailer trucks per hour would bring in the waste from these facilities, entering Milton primarily from Exit 18 on Route 16. If approved, the facility will open in 2016 and operate for 15-20 years before reaching capacity.

The material dumped in Milton would consist of construction and demolition byproduct and "fines" (finely ground by-product) - material that is not allowed in many other landfills, and has even been banned by some states.

The company is offering Milton $500,000 annually in tipping fees, in lieu of taxes.

Some concerned citizens of Milton have formed a group in an effort to get the facts out to the public. Citizens Against Landfills in Milton (CALM) https://stopmiltonlandfills.com/