Residents kick up stink at landfill air monitoring

Residents living nearby have been complaining of foul smells coming from the landfill site

Campaigners against a landfill site have said they have no confidence in measures to monitor air quality after discovering that the site operator is responsible for organising and funding the work.

People have been complaining about foul smells from the Withyhedge site near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, since last October.

Sue Lewis, from Stop the Stink, claims the monitoring "isn't independent" as it is being co-ordinated by an employee of Dauson Environmental Group - the same group owns the company which operates the Withyhedge site.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) insists the monitoring is being done with its "oversight and advice" and Pembrokeshire council and the site operators RML said it was being done by "independently accredited environmental consultants".

The landfill site has permission to deposit 250,000 tonnes of waste a year

The firm which runs the landfill site, Resources Management UK Ltd, has previously been told to "contain and collect" all "fugitive emissions" by 5 April, in an enforcement notice by NRW, because of concerns about smells from the site.

The firm is part of the larger Dauson Environmental Group that donated £200,000 to the successful Welsh Labour leadership campaign of Vaughan Gething.

Sue Lewis, who lives in Spittal, said she was shocked when she contacted the council for further details about the air quality monitoring now taking place, and it said it had been "outsourced."

"When I received the email from the gentleman who is co-ordinating this testing, it appeared that he worked, at some point, for Atlantic Recycling, as that was his email," she said.

"I emailed him back and said: 'You work for Atlantic Recycling which is owned by the same group, Dauson Environmental, as the landfill site itself, so this isn't independent.'

"The council should be looking for an independent company to come and test the landfill gasses over the boundary of the landfill site, and the residents should have tubes in their homes where you can sample the air by drawing air in, when it is particularly bad. I also believe the council should fund it."

Equipment has been installed to monitor the air quality, but locals want more control

Fellow campaigner Colin Barnett from Stop the Stink said people were still smelling "hydrogen sulphide" in the air, "depending on which way the wind blows."

"We were totally, totally disappointed to find that they've given the job back to the company that is polluting us with the hydrogen sulphide. It's self-regulation all over again," said Mr Barnett.

NRW said air quality monitoring was taking place in communities around the landfill, with the site operator "organising" the work, and "oversight and advice" coming from both it and the council.

NRW said officers from the council's pollution control team were "periodically accompanying the site operator" while they conduct off-site monitoring. NRW also confirmed that Resources Management UK Ltd was funding the work.

In a statement, RML said: “The consultants employed to carry out the work were recruited in full consultation with the local authority and regulator Natural Resources Wales. In addition, the local authority will have direct access to the independent verification and analysis of the results, without any involvement from RML.

"RML is currently working to resolve the odour issue as quickly possible. RML is fully committed to delivering the completion of this work within the timeframe of Friday 5 April 2024.”

'Extremely worrying'

Climate Change minister Julie James MS said residents should not be “putting up” with smells at a landfill site in Pembrokeshire.

She was responding to questions from Conservative MS Paul Davies in the Senedd on Wednesday.

Mr Davies said it was “extremely worrying” that the operator of Withyhedge landfill was also responsible for organising work to monitor air quality.

Ms James said she "absolutely understood" residents’ concerns and was pleased the enforcement had gone ahead.

"We will make sure that it’s vigorously enforced," she said.

“There is no need for a landfill site to be smelly, or difficult.”

The council declined to comment.