Press release - 24 Aug 2009

SITA UK invests £750,000 in new environmental management systems at Whinney Hill landfill site

New power generation infrastructure and a capping system to manage odour issues are being installed at the Whinney Hill landfill site.

Together they will help minimise odours coming from the site and ensure that it reaches its maximum potential for generating renewable energy.

Leading recycling and resource management company SITA UK, which operates the site, has appointed a specialist contractor Ruttle Construction Ltd. to carry out the work. It will take around 14 weeks at an investment of around £750,000.

The cap will cover the recently deposited waste for the next ten years, while tipping operations continue elsewhere on the site. After this time, additional wastes will be placed on top of it to restore the land to the restoration heights set out in the planning permission granted by Lancashire County Council. This final restoration will involve installing a permanent cap over the waste, which will again control any odours.

The capping work will create some odour issues during working hours over the period of the contract as the waste is exposed to fresh air. However, the measures will combat the odour issues in the long term and work is being done now to ensure it is complete ahead of the winter months, when localised weather conditions can create issues with odour around the site.

Installing additional infrastructure to manage the landfill gas* will help the company maximise the renewable energy the site can generate.

SITA UK has submitted a planning application to Lancashire County Council to install additional gas engines at Whinney Hill to increase the amount of electricity that can be generated on site. The site already generates 3195kW, which is enough to power 5,650 homes, through its existing electricity generation facilities.

If the proposed new engines are approved, they should be installed and fully operational by 2011, at which point the site will generate enough power for 9,000 homes. This will displace approximately 18,210 tonnes per year of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning power plants.

Brian Harper, Regional Manager for SITA UK’s landfill operations in the north west, said: “The work is scheduled to be completed by early November, which is important as it is during the winter months that local weather conditions can cause issues with odours around the site. We realise that the essential work we are undertaking now will create some odours, and that this will cause some concern amongst local people, but it is crucial to help us control landfill gas and minimise odour for local residents for years to come, as well as maximising the amount of renewable energy we generate.”

He added: “Listening and responding to the concerns of local residents is important to us, which is why we are moving quickly and extensively to make this positive investment in the future of the site.”