I have received the following update from the Environment Agency regarding the operator's progress in addressing issues of non-compliance:
Following submission of an action plan by the landfill operator (Opes MRF 2013 Ltd) detailing proposals for addressing a number of permit non-compliances, and our subsequent issuing of an Enforcement Notice encompassing much of that plan, the operator has undertaken the following:
- Deposit of waste in cell 11A ceased on 27 September 2021 and good progress is being made on the installation of capping in this cell.
- 7 new gas extraction wells have been installed, 5 across Cell 11A, and 2 in Cell 10. The sixth well planned for Cell 11A could not be installed due to insufficient waste depth.
- Submitted information required by our Enforcement Notice including, but not limited to:
- Installation of new headworks on leachate infrastructure to help reduce malodour
- Installation of a new point source deodorising system
- Details of their revised waste acceptance procedures
- An updated odour management plan.
Our Enforcement Notice includes a range of steps with deadlines set in October, November and December 2021. All steps dated up to, and including, 29 October 2021 have been undertaken within the timescales set. How Opes MRF 2013 perform against the requirements of our Notice will help inform our decision on future enforcement actions and this will be subject to review after the final action deadline has passed..
Our criminal investigations into malodour and breaches of the Environmental permit are ongoing. As this is an active investigation we are currently unable to comment on timescales or likely outcome of this.
We continue to visit the site regularly to ensure steady progress is made in addressing all permit non-compliance, and in particular the issue of malodour.
We would appreciate your continued support through providing accurate and timely reports about malodour via our 24-hour incident hotline 0800 807060 as we address the issues at Finmere.
