The Sanford City Council will host a public hearing Tuesday prior to a potential vote on a moratorium that would pause a proposed sludge treatment plant.

If approved, the citizen-proposed initiative would impose a 180-day moratorium on the establishment of thermal biosolids and sewage processing facilities within the city, which would include an ongoing proposal from Aries Clean Technologies.

The council can either approve or reject the moratorium or send the proposal to voters for a referendum in the November election.

Aries is a Tennessee-based company that specializes in biosolid gasification, a form of waste management that aims to eliminate PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” The company wants to build a $65 million waste-to-energy facility on Cyro Drive that it says would create 30 full-time jobs in Sanford, plus hundreds of temporary construction positions.

But many Sanford residents have voiced concerns at recent public forums with the proposed plant and its possible effects on the city.

Among the concerns is where the remaining PFAS will go. Aries says its gasification will eliminate up to 99% of forever chemicals, but some residents remain unconvinced.

Other fears raised by residents have included potential pollution of nearby bodies of water and a similar Aries gasification plant in New Jersey that was idled in 2025.

The citizen initiative for a moratorium was coordinated by the Sanford Clean Air & Water Coalition, an organization of residents that formed in opposition to the Aries facility.

“Thanks to the incredible effort from residents across Sanford, enough petition signatures were gathered to bring this issue forward to the council,” the coalition wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. “Now we need people to show up and demonstrate that the community supports taking a pause and carefully evaluating the potential impacts before moving forward.”

Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Sanford City Hall, 919 Main St.