Is the Gardner Sludge Landfill Expansion Good for Business?

brucechester4rep

Jul 24, 2022

2 min read

The Campaign to Elect Bruce Chester places a high priority on the environmental health of the 2nd Worcester district.

‘True conservatives believe that the environment we live in must be preserved for the social and economic health of our children and of ourselves. We don’t believe in waste, whether that means wasting our natural resources or wasting money.’

‘I am deeply concerned that the expansion of Gardner’s Sludge Landfill could have a dangerous effect on the people who live in Gardner and on the people I represent in Templeton, as their drinking water will come under threat by the expansion.’

‘Not too long ago, the city of Gardner spent time and public funds to create the Cummings Conservation area which abuts the Otter River. The Otter River is a tributary of a federally-protected waterway, the Connecticut River, by way of the Millers River.’

‘Expansion of the sludge landfill risks liability from the EPA and of the quality of East Templeton’s drinking water if it leads to pollution. I ask why would we spend public funds on conservation only to destroy parts of the area including the esker, a unique ice-age geological feature?

The City of Gardner has never completed a comprehensive feasibility study of alternatives to expansion like Anaerobic Digestion, Pyrolysis or other technologies that could have a positive effect on generating revenue, rather than spending money. I’ve spent several years studying the alternatives and believe a more exhaustive search for a better solution could have a positive environmental as well as economic effect for taxpayers in the 2nd Worcester District.’

‘As your candidate for the Mass House of Representatives, I will work tirelessly to seek the best solution to address the economic, environmental and social priorities of our district.’

The Chester Campaign wholeheartedly supports the efforts of Gardner Clean Air, the Millers River Watershed Council and the organizations they’ve amassed to advocate to stop the Gardner Sludge Landfill expansion.