Notice

Biffa Waste Services Limited, Poplars anaerobic digestion plant, Cannock, Staffordshire

Updated 21 January 2020

The Poplars landfill site has a permit to take non-hazardous waste, which can produce odours. During December 2019 and January 2020, there has been an increase in the amount of complaints being received from the public over odours coming from the site. The Environment Agency takes any reports of odour from a regulated site seriously and ensures they are fully investigated.

There are a number of actions the Environment Agency expects waste sites to take to reduce any odour. After the initial reports the site operators implemented an action plan that included installing infrastructure to aid gas extraction on site, but this did not resolve the odour issues.

In late December 2019 the site operators began work to install 30 additional gas extraction wells and a mobile flare as well as covering active tipping slopes with membranes to improve gas capture. The Environment Agency will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this work as it progresses and after completion, which is expected to be in February 2020.

Environment Agency officers continue to carry out air quality and odour assessments as part of their announced and unannounced visits to the site. The frequency of site inspections, progress review meetings and gas management audits has been increased, to ensure that not only are appropriate measures for odour nuisance control being maintained, but also that the site is continually reviewing and seeking additional measures that can be taken.

If you wish to report an odour issue or any other environmental incident please call our 24 hour incident hotline on 0800 807060.

See our Poplars landfill Citizens Space page for regular updates, answers to common questions and the community newsletter.