Closing stinky tip needs time, says council leader
BBCClosing a smelly landfill site "will not be an overnight solution", a council leader has said.
Speaking as Wyre Council's 60-day abatement notice to stop the smell came to an end, leader Michael Vincent said operators Transwaste, must address all the issues on the land before any activities come to a full stop.
Transwaste has previously said it takes odour nuisance "seriously" and it is "fully committed" to working constructively on air quality at the site.
A post-abatement review will now follow, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, though Transwaste has appealed against it, which will result in a hearing to present evidence.
In May, the Environment Agency formally varied the environmental permit for the operator so it can only accept waste types such as inert waste like soil, concrete and bricks.
'Plan in place'
Transwaste is also now required to install and maintain continuous hydrogen sulphide monitoring at four or more boundary locations.
Against this backdrop, Vincent said the sudden closure of the site would not help solve the odorous emissions issue, which Transwaste has accepted affects people's quality of life.
Vincent said: "The landfill site has not been receiving anything except inert waste for months.
"The issue of the smell is not being caused by what they are tipping there now, it is caused by the operators not properly capping off the calls.
"If you closed the site tomorrow it would carry on stinking, so before anything happens a rigorous gas migration plans need to be put in place.
"Obviously we hope they never operate from the site again and when everything is dealt with, that will be it.
"But there will not be an overnight solution caused by just shutting the site, we need to get the process right."
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