HILLS Waste in Westbury has breached its permit and been issued with an enforcement notice by the Environment Agency (EA) over the ‘rancid’ smell endured by residents when a bio-filter needed changing.
The action has led to local MP, Andrew Murrison, raising concern about the record of the company who plans to build a waste incinerator in the town.
The EA was investigating the group’s Northacre Resource Recovery Centre after a ‘rancid’ smell left residents in tears and unable to sit outside or open their windows in the recent heatwave.
Masses of people reported the ‘nasty’ odour to the EA and also to Ethandune Wiltshire councillor, Suzanne Wickham, in early June.
Andrew Murrison MP has welcomed the EA’s announcement, saying, “If Hills can’t operate its existing waste site properly, what hope is there that toxins from its proposed incinerator won’t also leak just like its stink that’s been afflicting my Westbury constituents for weeks on end?
“I’m truly appalled at the laid-back attitude the company has adopted and fully support the Environment Agency in its enforcement action. I have written to the EA to express my hope that, if the incinerator ends up being foisted on Westbury, it will use Hills’ poor record as justification for applying the most stringent controls on its operations.”
Last week the EA confirmed, “We now have evidence that there is odour coming from the Northacre Resource Recovery Centre on Stephenson Road – a site run by Hills Waste Solutions under an Environment Agency permit. This means that they have breached their permit and we can take enforcement action.
“Hills have replaced the first of three cells on the biofilter and expect to complete the second cell by the end of this week. The work to the last cell is due to be completed by 30th August 2021.”
Officers investigated complaints, met with residents and visited the site on multiple occasions at different times of day.
The EA said, “With the reports substantiated, we have classed this as an environmental incident. This means we are able to dedicate more staff and resources to resolving it. We can also recharge the company to cover our costs.
“We are working closely with the public protection and waste management teams from Wiltshire Council, to explore our options and ensure our response to this incident considers the wider impact on Wiltshire’s waste services.”
EA officers continue to visit Westbury, to confirm where the odour can be smelt and to score its strength out of six. On average, officers are giving it scores of two to three, which can be enough to be a ‘reasonable cause for annoyance’.
The EA said, “We are meeting regularly with Hills to ensure they are doing as much as possible to resolve the odour issues. We are already seeing an improvement in the odour scores since the start of July.
“With the general improvement of odours due to the action being taken and the expected continual improvement as each stage of the biofilter replacement process is completed, our first option has been to serve a legal enforcement notice to Hills.
“We have told Hills Group to complete the refurbishment of the biofilter by 30th August 2021.”
The EA “seriously considered” suspending Hills’ permit, which would stop the site from receiving any more waste. Discussions were had with Wiltshire Council about the knock-on effect on waste services to residents.
Wiltshire Council said, “We know that these odours are having a negative impact on the local community and we are keen to see this resolved as soon as possible. We also recognise the efforts of Hills Waste Solutions in progressing with the replacement of the MBT (mechanical and biological treatment) biofilter material as quickly as possible to respond to the reported issues.
“If the council were unable to continue delivering waste to the Northacre facility, there would be little option but to dispose of this waste to landfill, as the alternative waste treatment facility that would typically be used when the MBT is unavailable begins a pre-planned maintenance period from 9th August, meaning only reduced loads can be delivered to that facility. As waste disposed of in landfill decomposes it produces methane, which is widely recognised as a ‘greenhouse gas’ and a contributor to climate change.
“To add to this, a combination of the national HGV driver shortage and staff needing to self-isolate due to being identified as ‘close Covid contacts’, means that if we were to ask our collection vehicles based in the west of the county to drive to alternative disposal locations elsewhere in the county, it would increase the risk of delays to scheduled bin collections at this time, which would be highly likely to further increase the risk of localised odours.”
Hills told White Horse News, “The process used at Northacre Resource Recovery Centre to process Wiltshire’s household waste uses a filtration plant to eliminate odours. As part of the routine maintenance programme, this equipment requires the filter medium to be routinely changed every three to four years. This change is currently being undertaken and is expected to be completed by the end of August. Whilst the work is taking place, the filtration plant is not operating at its maximum efficiency, but there will be a continual improvement in its efficiency through to the completion of the work.
“The Environment Agen-cy were consulted prior to this work starting and they have been regularly updated on the progress. Additionally, the Northacre Resource Recovery Centre liaison committee was given prior notice of the start of this project and an indication of the expected duration.
“We will continue to work with the Environment Agency and comply with the notice that has been issued.”
However, local residents were not convinced that the problem is being solved.
Paul Mitchell said, “There will be no link between this and whether they get the permit for the incinerator. Sadly.”
David Wood said, “Makes you wonder how they will manage their incinerator. It’s OK saying you have processes in place to protect the environment and local people, but they need to follow those processes. “
And Marius Boda added, “The smell will be a daily business for them, especially on the warm-hot days/season. So be ready for more smelly days.”
