Waste facility changes proposed to tackle odour concerns

Proposed changes to the way the Northacre waste treatment facility operates could reduce odour issues following years of complaints from Westbury residents.

Hills Waste Solutions, which operates the plant, is working with Wiltshire Council to review the existing contract for the Mechanical and Biological Treatment (MBT) facility, with proposed changes including removing the MBT processing equipment and operating the building as a transfer station.

Residents have complained about the smell from the facility for years, with concerns about the ongoing impact on people living and working in Westbury.

Last month, over 100 residents attended a public drop-in meeting with representatives from Hills, Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency (EA) at The Laverton to raise concerns.

Hills says the proposed changes would mean waste would usually remain at Northacre for no more than 48 hours, rather than the current 14 days, while the volume of material stored at the facility would also be “dramatically reduced”.

The proposals would also mean separately collected food waste would not be delivered to Northacre, but processed at other specialist facilities.

Hills said, “The combination of separate food waste collections and reduced storage times and volumes for waste is expected to reduce the potential for odour and other amenity issues at the facility.”

The proposals are being considered in response to changes to household waste collections, with Wiltshire Council due to introduce separate food waste collections in 2027.

In the meantime, Hills said it has agreed with the EA to reduce the amount of waste brought into Northacre from 300 tonnes per day to 215 tonnes per day “with a view to reducing odour emissions”.

Hills said, “Additional in-plant deodorising enhancements are being made at the plant along with the installation of further localised odour extraction measures.

“The EA and Hills will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these measures.”

Hills also said it “recognises that there is an impact from the facility” and continues to liaise with the EA and Wiltshire Council on the issue.

Northacre opened in 2013 as part of a 25-year contract between Hills and Wiltshire Council. The facility currently processes around 60,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste each year.

For more information, visit https://www.hills-waste.co.uk/news/northacre-mbt-update-21-august-2026