MEAD- The environmental contractor managing the cleanup of millions of pounds of pesticide-laden waste at the former ethanol plant near Mead, formally titled NewFields, indicated that the initial efforts to dispose of that toxic material have been largely successful. Over the course of the fall season, the company has transported 10,208 tons of solicited wet cake from the former AltEn plant to the Pheasant Point landfill in Bennington.

That's roughly 10% of the solid waste currently entombed under a cement and clay shell at the now-defunct biofuel plant, but not close to the estimated 24,000 tons that NewFields had originally sought to dispose of in a feasibility study conducted in August. Bill Butler, a partner at NewFields, said issues securing bentonite, a reagent used to solidify the wet cake for transport, led to less waste being hauled than originally planned.

Butler, however, praised NewFields' work in removing, solidifying, and loading the wet cake without stirring up pungent odors, which were the subject of complaints from nearby residents that ultimately brought attention to AltEn and the biological waste it created. "We were able, in the last two weeks, to step up production and get things rolling," said Butler, "But we still have room for improvement." According to Butler, operations will be ramped back up in April or May of 2024, depending on the state of the weather.

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