Withyhedge Landfill Welcomes Community to Site

 

Following a period of closure to undertake extensive investigation and remediation works in response to odour issues in 2024, Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) was pleased to reopen the Withyhedge Landfill site on 6 January 2025.

Since reopening, the site has closely monitored the effectiveness of the remediation measures and additional processes implemented. In April, RML welcomed local community members, politicians, media representatives and organisations, including schools, local businesses and voluntary services, for a site tour to view the improvements first-hand.

During the visit, visitors were presented with a detailed overview of the site’s journey including the root cause of the previous odour in 2024, the comprehensive changes made to prevent recurrence of such an event again and findings from the independent air quality data that has been collected to date. The presentation and tour highlighted other key improvements:

  • Capping of previously open landfill cells.

  • Installation of additional gas extraction systems in order to safely manage and remove landfill gases, surpassing industry best practice, an approach RML believes is unmatched by any other UK landfill.

  • Construction of a new landfill cell to support future waste management operations.

  • How the specific waste stream that caused the issue in 2024 was identified and how the introduction of a revised waste testing and acceptance protocol is now in place to prevent unsuitable material entering the site in future.

  • Upgrades to surface water management, including the development of on-site lagoons.

  • Installation of odour monitors both on-site and within nearby communities to ensure rapid detection and response.

Visitors witnessed the scale of these investments and were reassured by the robust systems now in place. Most importantly, they all reported that there were no odours present, which was the reassurance all were looking for.

RML Director David Neal said:

“Since the issues experienced last year, we have invested over £10 million at the site.
This has included capping the previously open cells, building gas extraction systems throughout these cells to manage and remove gases, as well as constructing an additional cell to improve how we manage waste moving forward.
We have also put in place a revised waste testing and acceptance procedure which ensures that all waste received at the site is suitable and compliant.
In direct response to local community concerns, we have also installed odour monitors both at the site and within the local community to ensure we can quickly identify and manage any future issues, as well as improving site infrastructure to better manage visiting vehicles.”

In response, feedback from visitors was clear: RML must do more to engage with the public and share this important information more widely. Community members emphasised the importance of rebuilding public confidence and encouraged the company to share the actions and investments taken with as many local residents as possible.

In response to this, RML has recommitted to increased communication and transparency. Full details of the site improvements and revised procedures will be published on the company’s website in the coming weeks. Additionally, RML will work with local community councils to distribute information from the visit and to ensure ongoing updates reach a wider audience.

Further community engagement is also planned, including additional site visits and local updates throughout the year.

Looking ahead, Mr Neal added:

“We anticipate the site will fully re-open by early spring as we continue to build confidence in the new systems with regulators, stakeholders, and the local community.
I would like to thank the local community for their understanding during this challenging time. We are part of this community, and we want to continue playing a positive role locally. That’s why we will continue with further updates and visits later this year.”