Though Lewiston’s deal with Casella Waste System’s Inc. is “dead,” to use the parlance of the city administrator, residents must realize the problems that caused this issue to arise are still alive and kicking.

Lewiston, and Auburn, still have access to a landfill with a six-century capacity, but one that now requires millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded expansion. Contracting with Casella was a surefire way for Lewiston to reduce its costs for waste disposal; costs should now probably rise, as landfill work commences.

This is the trade-off for keeping Casella out of Lewiston, which the City Council did with gusto Tuesday evening. Citizens virulently supported this outcome; they must be prepared to accept the alternative, which is their continued support of the city’s solid waste facility.

Rejecting the Casella proposal also ricochets throughout Maine, from Biddeford to Westbrook to Hampden to Old Town. These communities all had a stake in the city’s decision:

• Biddeford, which hoped to finally shed its downtown incinerator, Maine Energy Recovery Corp.

• Hampden and Old Town, which are Casella’s existing landfill sites. Old Town is also home to Red Shield, the biorefinery in the former Georgia-Pacific mill, which construction debris processed in Lewiston was destined to feed.

• Westbrook, which was the top site for construction of a massive construction and demolition debris processor, according to Casella officials, if Lewiston passed.

This reverberation from Lewiston’s decision should echo loudest in lawmakers’ ears. While striving to protect Maine communities from reckless disposal, the Legislature hasn’t given equal shrift to improving current practices.

And the state, which partnered with Casella to support Red Shield and contributed to increased demand for construction waste, should take a leading role in determining how this is accomplished.

Lawmakers must also attend to crafting an approach to fulfill this obligation, which affects economic development in southern Maine and environmental and economic issues in central Maine.

A bill from the previous session, LD 810, sponsored by Rep. Robert Duchesne of Hudson, wants to streamline waste oversight by putting it under one agency; the duties are now split between the Department of Environmental Protection and the State Planning Office.

Duchesne’s bill has been carried over, and is a good place for lawmakers to start in January. Reassessing the state’s approach to this sticky issue starts with deciding who is in charge.

Because for certain, managing solid waste cannot be treated like, well, solid waste: throwing out tons of ideas at the problem, and hoping somebody makes the problem go away. This approach has made Casella millions, because the company would come along and collect these opportunities.

Until Tuesday, Lewiston’s waste issues were out on the curb for them.

Now they’re still there, waiting for pick-up by somebody else.