Chapel Farm landfill site, Swindon
Updated 15 April 2014
© Crown copyright 2014
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chapel-farm-landfill-site-swindon/chapel-farm-landfill-site-swindon
Chapel Farm is a landfill site to the north of Swindon. Hills Waste Solutions Ltd is responsible for managing the site, and they operate under a permit issued by the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency has received complaints of odour in North Swindon coming from the operational part of the landfill site at Chapel Farm.
The Environment Agency has been in regular contact with Hills since this issue was brought to their attention. They continue to monitor the situation to ensure that Hills comply with their permit, and to make sure that Hills develop a long-term plan to reduce nuisance odours from this site.
Update: 11 April 2014
Since re-opening on 27 March 2014, Chapel Farm Landfill is continuing to take waste as it works towards its closure later this year. Tipping is still due to end in August to September 2014, which should allow the final area to be capped ahead of next winter. Soils will then be restored over the next 2 years.
The Environment Agency has inspected the site to monitor the work that was carried out to reduce gas and odour emissions. They identified a small area that was still causing odours, so the network of pin-wells (shallow depth wells to collect landfill gas) has now been connected to the gas flare. The flare burns the gas to remove its smell.
This means that the source of odour is now criss-crossed with wells and pipework to collect as much gas as possible ahead of the final capping. Over the coming months, parts of this new gas-collection system will have to be disconnected and reconnected so that waste can be tipped around it. The Environment Agency has told the site operator that they must make sure that smells are minimised when this takes place.
It is apparent that odours on site are much improved. Complaints have decreased, but the Environment Agency are not complacent. They expect the operator to keep the number and location of extraction wells under review and install more as necessary to reduce smells. The Environment Agency will maintain a regular presence on site and in the wider area and will keep the community updated.
On 10 April 2014, the Environment Agency carried out further hydrogen sulphide monitoring, which showed that levels are still below those that are likely to cause direct health effects, as advised by Public Health England. The Environment Agency recognises that odours can still be annoying, so they will be taking more air samples. They will update this page as soon as the results have been received and assessed by Public Health England.
Update: 4 April 2014
The site re-opened at the end of March 2014. The Environment Agency doesn’t believe that the recent smells from the site are associated with the daily tipping of waste.
Since the additional gas wells were installed, there have been fewer complaints from local residents. The Environment Agency continues to monitor the situation very closely. They identified a small area of the site that needs further attention. The operator has installed a network of smaller pin wells in this area, which will be connected up to the main extraction system. The Environment Agency expects the operator to keep the number and location of extraction wells under review and install more as necessary to reduce odours.
The Environment Agency has also told the operator to investigate other options to contain landfill gas within the site boundary. They are also monitoring smells in the wider area and keeping the community updated on their actions.
The Environment Agency has carried out monitoring for hydrogen sulphide at Chapel Farm Landfill site and off-site on Tadpole Lane and passed the results to Public Health England (PHE). PHE have advised that the recorded levels will not cause acute health effects even at the highest levels measured on site. This does not mean the smells are any less annoying for residents who live near to the site.
The Environment Agency are collecting further air samples around the area and will update this advice when results are available.
Contact
To report an incident, call the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
You can also contact Hills Waste Solutions Ltd by email: info@hills-group.co.uk