Running out of Space

WIN Waste increases ash shipments to 75 percent this year; company report shows ash landfill could reach capacity in 18 months

By Mark E. Vogler

WIN Waste Innovations has a remaining capacity of up to a year and a half at the ash landfill near its trash-to-energy plant on Route 107 in East Saugus, based on recent company estimates. “As of the October 18, 2025 topographic survey, the projected site life of the Monofill ranges between 0.42 to 1.5 years based on historic usage,” according to the annual Monofill Progress Report that was filed Jan. 30 with the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the town’s Board of Health.

“Changes to the actual quantity of ash disposed of at the Monofill or transported off-site will impact the remaining site life,” it noted.

WIN Waste Facility Manager Elliott Casey told the Board of Health at its meeting on Monday (Feb. 2) that the company is “planning on 75 percent” shipment of the ash generated by the plant offsite to prolong the life of the landfill. Current state environmental regulations do not permit expansion of the ash landfill, which a majority of town officials oppose.

Casey this week issued a statement reiterating the company’s position that continued use of the landfill would be a better option than trucking the ash out of town. “We will continue to ship ash and increase the quantity as necessary as we strive to find a solution with the Town on a mutually beneficial plan for continued use of the monofill that keeps thousands of diesel trucks off the road and provides significant financial resources to the town and state.”

Board of Health member Joseph Dorant, who presided over the meeting in the absence of the board’s Chair, Maria Tamagna, read excerpts from the highly technical report. From Oct. 11, 2024, to Oct. 18, 2025, about 32,200 cubic yards of disposal capacity were consumed at the Monofill, according to the WIN Waste progress report. As of October 18, 2025, about 33,000 cubic yards of permitted disposal capacity remains at the Monofill. This volume includes ash and operational cover materials.

“It looks like you guys put 32,200 cubic yards into the landfill,” Dorant noted. “And there’s approximately 33,000 cubic yards remaining as capacity. So if you were to put the same amount of cubic yards into the landfill this year, as you did last year, probably around October of next year you would reach capacity. Is that safe to say?”

WIN Waste representatives acknowledged that is a possibility based on the report’s estimates.

The progress report, prepared by Brown and Caldwell, was the 41st in a series of reports submitted to MassDEP during the active life of the Saugus Monofill. It stems from a consent order between Wheelabrator (formerly RESCO) and MassDEP, dated June 29, 1989. The report includes an updated site plan that shows the existing horizontal and vertical configurations, elevations and contours of the Monofill. The capacity and volume analyses contained in this APR are based on the updated site plan, as well as ash tonnages received at the Monofill.

WIN Waste began trucking ash to a company disposal site in Shrewsbury in April of 2024.