Casella Open House Highlights Landfill Technology

Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Casella) welcomed hundreds of visitors to the New England Waste Services VT (NEWSVT) landfill at its annual open house on Saturday helping to inform the public about the advancing technology designed to manage Vermont’s waste safely and securely.

“We love opening our doors to the community and welcoming them in to learn about our company, our operations, and the realities of modern waste management,” said landfill general manager Jeremy Labbe. “Most people attend out of curiosity or to enjoy some family-friendly fun and food and leave with a new perspective about their own consumption and the modern technology in place that safely manages their waste. I am so grateful to all of our staff that give of their time on a Saturday to help with this event.”

Tours of the facility ran throughout the day while representatives from all of Casella’s lines of business, community partners, and vendors were on hand to answer questions and provide information.

“Our company has been focused on putting a significant portion of society’s waste to a higher and better use since establishing the first recycling facility in Vermont in 1977,” said Casella Chairman and CEO John Casella. “That focus has allowed us to implement the fully integrated systems that make modern life possible for many people while limiting the impacts on the environment, and preserving natural resources. This annual event is a great opportunity to showcase those systems in a family-friendly environment and educate the public on ways we can work together to reduce consumption, recycle better, and manage waste in a safe and secure way.”

Partners from Washington Electric Co-op were also present to give visitors tours of its neighboring energy facility which converts landfill gas into renewable energy for more than 8,000 homes in Vermont, representing nearly 70 percent of the necessary load requirements of its customers.

New to the tours this year was information and insights on the advanced treatment facility under construction on site that is designed to treat Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals used in manufacturing to make nonstick coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. The chemicals, which are found throughout the environment and in our homes eventually end up in our waste streams and do not break down over time. This treatment facility, which is one of the first to be utilized at a landfill in the United States, aims to remove these chemicals from landfill leachate before it is sent to traditional wastewater treatment systems so that PFAS can remain sequestered in the landfill.

“We’re excited about the PFAs treatment project, and we expect that it will serve as another reminder that decisions made as consumers have potential consequences at the end of product lifecycles,” Casella said. “We’re proud to be leading the way, here in Vermont, with this emerging technology to further protect our natural environment and public health.”