Aries uses EPA-approved testing methods and works with independent, licensed
engineers and certified laboratories to monitor the facility’s operations. The project must
also meet strict permitting requirements before it can be built and operate.
The community will never know if the technology actually works.
FACT
MYTH
The project is expected to create approximately 100 construction jobs and 30 permanent local jobs, with an estimated median wage of approximately $70,000 annually. The project will contribute to Sanford’s tax base through long-term property tax payments and will purchase local goods and services. The project will also save Sanford Sewer District ratepayers money through reduced biosolids disposal costs.
Sanford is getting nothing in return for taking on risk.
FACT
MYTH
The community will never know if the technology actually works.
Aries uses EPA-approved testing methods and works with independent, licensed engineers and certified laboratories to monitor the facility’s operations. The project must
also meet strict permitting requirements before it can be built and operate.
FACT
MYTH
Sanford taxpayers are paying for this project.
The facility is 100% privately funded by Aries Clean Technologies and represents an $180 million private investment. Sanford taxpayers are not funding the construction
of the facility.
FACT
MYTH
Trucks will be constant and will drive through residential neighborhoods.
Less than 20 trucks per day are expected to deliver biosolids to the facility, and deliveries will be spaced throughout the day to avoid congestion. A traffic study has been completed, and the study concludes the facility will have no adverse traffic impacts. The facility is located in the Cyro Road Industrial Park, adjacent to Maine Highway 109. Aries will require all trucks to follow a designated truck route that avoids all residential neighborhoods. The site is designed with ample roadways for trucks to queue on the property.
FACT
MYTH
This project is the same as an old trash incinerator
This is not a trash incinerator. The Sanford facility is designed specifically to process dewatered wastewater biosolids using a gasification process, which uses controlled heat in a sealed, oxygen-limited environment. No combustion occurs in the gasification process. This is fundamentally different from the traditional waste incineration facilities that many communities remember. The facility will destroy 99% of “forever chemicals” and other harmful compounds and incorporate the best available air emissions control technology.
MYTH
FACT
The facility is designed to process biosolids, which are dewatered solids from municipal wastewater treatment plants – not raw sewage. Biosolids are produced daily by wastewater treatment plants and must be managed responsibly. Municipal wastewater treatment plants would be unable to protect Maine clean water resources if biosolids did not have safe disposal solutions. The goal of the project is to provide anew long-term infrastructure solution that reduces reliance on landfills and supports safe
biosolids management.
Sanford will become a dumping ground for “raw sewage” from other states.
FACT
MYTH
The facility must meet strict Maine DEP health-based air quality standards and will include advanced emissions control systems. Independent testing has demonstrated up to 99% PFAS destruction through Aries’ gasification process. Supporting documentation is available here: http://info.ariescleantech.com/books/uudx/. The facility, when operational, will use a third party engineering firm and an independent laboratory to confirm the facility’s emission are completely safe.
PFAS will just be released into the air
FACT
MYTH
Our treatment process destroys 99% of PFAS present in the biosolids feedstock. Any process wastewater will also be treated to eliminate PFAS. As such, the facility will not be discharging PFAS into the Sanford sewer system. Facility wastewater will be treated to meet Sanford’s strict standards.
The facility will dump PFAS into Sanford’s sewer system.
FACT
MYTH
The facility will smell and make nearby neighborhoods unlivable.
The facility is intentionally designed to prevent odors. The building is enclosed, operates under negative air pressure, and uses odor-control systems to capture and treat the building odor. Aries’ design and operating procedures will prevent the release of odors during receiving, storage, and processing.
FACT
MYTH
This project is being pushed through without oversight or public input.
The facility must go through multiple state and local approvals, including:
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Maine DEP Solid Waste Facility License
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Maine DEP Air Emissions License
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City of Sanford Site Plan Approval
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City of Sanford Building Approval
These processes include public review steps, and residents will have opportunities to
ask questions and provide input.
FACT
MYTH
Sanford taxpayers are paying for this project.
Sanford is getting nothing in return for taking on risk.
The community will never know if the technology actually works.
We understand why residents have questions – this is a complex topic, and it’s easy for information to be misunderstood or misrepresented. Aries is committed to transparency and ongoing public engagement. We encourage residents to review project information, attend the Community Day, and submit questions directly through the project website.
