Another discouraging vote from the Maine Legislature on waste disposal with our own Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, really pushing it. He spoke twice in the floor debate, never actually addressing the merits of the bill, but saying how well Waste Management is run and how he has no fears about pollution. He said he’ll swim in the Kennebec anytime.

He did not say that this is a BandAid solution.

The state made a horrible decision in granting Casella 30 years of free rein at the Juniper Ridge site in Orono. Supposedly taking only Maine waste, Casella, however, processes out-of-state waste at the border, making it Maine waste.

This Waste Management expansion bill was created to solve that problem. How intelligent people talk themselves into making things worse is pretty interesting. Of course, there is all that lobbying activity and money.

We must deal with our own waste, and we do a pretty good job of it. Sanford was fined some time ago because it didn’t produce enough waste for an incinerator.

Why do we have laws like that? That is what the Legislature should work on.

Landfill space is precious. Nothing should ever go into a landfill that is not reduced to the smallest possible volume and cannot be handled any other way. Make this a law. Commercial landfills make money by taking as much waste as possible, as quickly as possible.

Waste Management has instituted one-stream recycling. This cuts jobs and saves them money, but 20 percent of recyclables are lost and landfilled.

If we build a landfill, they will come. More out-of-state waste is great for business; too bad about the environment and the people.

Marla Bottesch

Norridgewock