Firm bosses speak out over ‘stench’ landfill site
THE firm behind a landfill site which is creating a ‘sickening’ stench insists it is stepping up work to resolve the issue.
Residents have been reporting a pungent smell from the Pilsworth South landfill site for months with locals reportedly sealing up their windows and vents.
The issue has been so bad, people in neighbouring areas of Rochdale, Bury and Heywood and have claimed to feel ‘physically sick’ because of the pong. More than 3,600 people have now signed a petition calling for an investigation into the site, while last week, mayor Andy Burnham joined residents and Christian Wakeford MP in demanding action with an emergency meeting taking place next week.
Now, the company responsible for the site has issued a statement, insisting it is working to rectify the issue. Valencia Waste Ltd says an improved gas collection system is being used to reduce odour from the site.
A ‘capping material’ is also being used over exposed areas to speed up the work, Valencia says. However, the problem won’t be resolved overnight, with the work expected to last for a fortnight.
A spokesperson for Valencia said: “The deployment of the improved gas collection system has been successful in capturing more landfill gas and reducing odour from the site so far, but Valencia is not happy with the speed that the odour is being eliminated. As a result, we have taken the decision to put a temporary capping material over all of the exposed areas of waste on the site.
“This will be in addition to the enhanced gas collection infrastructure. The combination of these engineering solutions will speed up the reduction of any odour emissions from site.
“We have mobilised quickly and this capping operation started [yesterday] morning (March 5, 2024) and will take approximately two weeks to complete. These works are heavily weather dependent and labour intensive, so any periods of rain or wind will likely impact this timeline.
“The site will remain closed to waste inputs until this work is completed, however restoration material will continue to be taken into the site as this is used to cover and stabilise the capping material. Again, Valencia apologises for any inconvenience caused during these works, we are taking this extremely seriously and are working hard to resolve the issues.”
The Environment Agency previously reported that Valencia had breached its permit for the Pilsworth South landfill site, following unauthorised works for ‘overtipping’. The body has since taken on weekly site visits at Pilsworth, installed gas wells to mitigate odours and expanded capping on exposed waste.
Any residents with questions or concerns can contact Valencia by emailing Pilsworthsouthlandfill@consultationonline. co.uk or calling 0800 066 8941.
Odour reports can be made to the Environment Agency 24 hours a day, on 0800 807060.