Owners of Telford landfill behind 'unacceptable' smell will host public session over odour concerns
Landfill owners facing complaints over their Telford site's smell will be holding a drop-in session to answer questions.
The Redhill Landfill site in the east of the town has been the focus of concern from residents about the odour since earlier this year.
The Environment Agency (EA) said it recognised "that odours coming from the landfill have escalated over the last few weeks," and described it as an "unacceptable situation".
Operators Potters (Midlands) and the EA have been working on a plan to improve the situation – and revealed details of what it would involve last month.
Now Potters (Midlands) is hosting the drop-in event next week, where people can go along and ask questions about the situation.
Staff from the EA, the UKHSA and Telford & Wrekin Council will join them for the session.
It will take place at Meeting Point House in Telford town centre from 3pm to 4pm on Wednesday.
The site owners have also provided their own update explaining their plans to remedy the issue.
They said: "We have been working with the Environment Agency to agree a plan of action to address concerns about odour around the site.
"The landfill at Redhill has cells that have been filled and covered but are yet to be capped.
"The weather at Redhill in the last six months has been especially poor and capping cannot begin until the weather is dry enough. We expect capping to start onsite in June 2024, and it should be completed by September 2024.
"In the interim, extra odour reduction measures have been put in place, such as drilling additional wells into the area to be capped, so that gases can be captured and removed offsite."
The owners have also rejected suggestions that the odour could be having a health impact on residents.
The update said: "We want to reassure you that the presence of landfill gas and the level of odour at the site is not harmful to your health.
"In 30 years of operation at Redhill, no gas reading has ever been cause for concern.
"There is no scenario, no matter how remote, where gases produced by the site at Redhill can be harmful to human health."
The EA is expected to provide its own update on the site later this month.
