HAMPDEN – A group of Hampden residents opposed to the Pine Tree Landfill is working to raise money to aid in their fight to stop the proposed increase in capacity at the landfill.

The Hampden Citizens Coalition is trying to raise at least $10,000 in the next three months, about two-thirds of which they anticipate will be used to pay legal fees.

“We want to raise money for any need for the long battle up ahead,” Bill Lippincott, chairman of the coalition, said Friday.

In November, landfill owner and operator Casella Waste Systems Inc. filed an application that seeks to demonstrate the landfill’s benefit to the public. The application was required by the Department of Environmental Protection as part of Casella’s plan to increase capacity at Pine Tree by nearly 50 percent.

The DEP will hold a public meeting on the application at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at Reeds Brook School.

“Our main focus right now is to get as many people as we can to the public meeting,” Lippincott said.

Casella officials are aware of the fundraising efforts and plan to attend next week’s meeting, they said Friday.

At that time, the DEP will consider comments that apply to the public benefit application, which is a precursor to Pine Tree’s separate application to increase capacity at the landfill.

Before the DEP will consider the project further, Pine Tree has been directed to prove that the proposed increase in capacity would benefit the public.

Comments must apply to the state statutes governing public benefit applications for solid waste disposal sites. Basically, comments must address Pine Tree’s proposal to address capacity needs locally and throughout the state.

“I see no really possible public benefit; I see many, many negatives,” Lippincott said.

That means comments on odor or the visual impact of the landfill will not be considered now, but will be saved in the event that the application to increase capacity moves forward.

The DEP has two months to issue a decision on the public benefit application.

“I really want people to come out this Thursday about whether or not they think it’s beneficial to the people in Hampden, the people in Maine, to get another expansion of the landfill in Hampden,” Lippincott said.

He explained that the money the coalition is trying to raise will be used throughout the public meeting and hearing process, and anticipated court proceedings to try to stop the increase at the landfill.

Specifically, the money will be used to pay for legal fees and expert testimony, to send out mailings to keep residents informed, and to pay for photocopying and other costs related to research efforts.

“I’ve had a lot of people call me, and we’ve really had some good, generous donations,” Lippincott said. “We’re hopeful that we can wage a successful fight this time around.”