A quest for information

The Board of Health will seek an “Ash Landfill Closure Update” from WIN Waste at all future meetings

By Mark E. Vogler

The Board of Health plans to pursue something that the town’s Ash Landfill Closure Committee was unable to do: have a conversation with WIN Waste Innovations about its plans for finally closing the ash landfill adjacent to its trash-to-energy plant. After listening to a presentation at Monday’s meeting from committee representatives, Board of Health members voted unanimously at Monday’s meeting to adopt a committee request to include “Ash Landfill Closure Update” as part of their monthly meeting agenda.

The Board of Health also agreed to adopt two other committee requests:

• Include discussion, comments and any documents related to closure updates in future meeting minutes
• Invite Brown and Caldwell representatives to an upcoming meeting to present their January 30, 2026, annual Monofill Progress Report filed with the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the town’s Board of Health on behalf of WIN Waste. The report noted the projected site life of the Monofill (ash landfill) ranges between 0.42 to 1.5 years based on historic usage.

“Closure is not a question of ‘if.’ It’s a question of ‘when’ and ‘when’ is approaching quickly,” Board of Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta told the Board of Health at its Monday meeting. She is a member of the Town Meeting-created Ash Landfill Closure Committee, and was joined by Precinct 10 Town Meeting Member Peter Manoogian – the committee’s chair – in making requests for the board to seek more information about the future closure of the ash landfill.

“Given that WIN Waste declined to attend or participate in our Landfill Closure Committee meetings and is not really engaged in any meaningful conversation at the Board of Health level on the closure of this unlined landfill, it’s essential that the landfill closure become a discussion point for all future meetings,” Panetta said.

“The public deserves transparency and the town deserves a clear closure process. We respectfully ask that this board – our Board of Health – to ensure that the closure planning and remediation moves forward in a transparent structure and accountable manner,” she said.

Director of Public Health John R. Fralick III was visibly impressed with the committee presentation. “It’s obviously something that is a hot-button issue here in town, and based on the review of the information, I would request that the board make a motion to include the requests for future agendas,” Fralick said.

WIN Waste representatives – including WIN Waste-Saugus plant manager Elliott Casey – attended the Board of Health meeting, but did not offer an immediate response. Board of Health Chair Maria Tamagna later told Casey she hoped that he would bring back the report of the Ash Landfill Closure Committee to his superiors at WIN Waste and that they would “consider meeting with us.”

“I’ll take that back to the team,” Casey said.

Mary Urban, Sr. Director of Communications and Community at WIN Waste, later issued a statement to The Saugus Advocate reiterating the company’s preference to keep the ash landfill open. “We have consistently attended the BOH meetings and remain committed to transparency throughout this process,” Urban said.

“By continuing to utilize the monofill, we can avoid nearly 9,000 tractor trailer trips across the state and deliver tens of millions of dollars in economic benefits to the community, alongside significant environmental gains,” she said.

“We remain hopeful that we can find a path forward with the town that recognizes the value of keeping the monofill open, which also supports Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, home to more than 200 migratory bird species and vital salt marsh restoration work,” she said.

Ash Landfill Closure Committee Chair Manoogian presented Health Board members with copies of a report titled “Presentation to the Board of Health Regarding WIN Ash Landfill Imminent Closure,” which included letters and emails from state DEP showing that the life of the landfill is nearing an end, based on the permit issued by DEP on Nov. 1, 2017, which was set to expire after 10 years. “They clearly indicate that closure must take place prior to, no later than Nov. 1st, 2027, and that the height cannot go beyond 50 feet,” Manoogian said of the documents, which he hoped would brief the Health Board members well enough so they could participate in the closure process.

Panetta said it’s important for the Health Board to be part of the closure process and to understand that process. “The WIN Waste incinerator as well as the ash landfill is the biggest environmental concern that we have within our town,” Panetta said.

“And I just think it’s important that our Board of Health be involved as a partner with WIN Waste on not just the closure but also the remediation once that ash landfill is indeed closed,” she said.

There is also interest from neighboring communities about the future of the ash landfill. Loretta LaCentra, an Alliance for Health and the Environment organizer and a Revere environmental activist, was among the concerned citizens who spoke at the meeting.  “My neighbors and I living in the Port of Pines and Oak Island neighborhoods are very much impacted by this landfill. We do have a vested interest in the closure plan, which we know very little about,” LaCentra said.

“Because of that, would it make sense to ask MassDEP, who oversees the closure of the landfill, to have a public informational meeting maybe later this spring so that the residents of Saugus, Revere and Lynn would have an opportunity to get a little bit more information?” she asked. “From a MassDEP standpoint, what does the closure plan entail and how do they oversee and confirm compliance as this closure progresses? I think it would be a great opportunity for additional questions to be asked and answered by our friends at MassDEP.”