Odour problems at a Cumbria-based mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility owned by Shanks (now Renewi) have led to the waste company making a £60,000 charity donation.
The £60,000 donation is in relation to odour problems at Shanks 75,000 tonnes-per-year capacity MBT plant in Barrow-in-Furness
The Environment Agency accepted the payment as a type of compensation for an incident which saw the site close for several weeks in 2015.
The incident was described by the Environment Agency today (22 June) as a failure “to comply with a permit condition in relation to water discharge activity”.
The donation was given to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, and came as part of an enforcement undertaking from the company.
This type of action allows a business to ‘take control’ of a post-incident non-compliance and propose the steps they are prepared to take to make amends before making an offer to the Environment Agency.
This approach is generally seen as cheaper for both parties than going through the courts.
Barrow-in-Furness
The £60,000 sum is in relation to odour problems at its 75,000 tonnes-per-year capacity MBT plant in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.
The plant had to stop operations to improve on odour control in April 2015, after the Environment Agency served a notice to Shanks over “non-compliance” with permit requirements (see letsrecycle.com story)
As part of the suspension, the plant was closed for several weeks while Shanks improved the site’s bio-filter, which eliminates odours from the treatment hall.
The company has said that since then, it has been working with the Agency to make “various improvements”.
Reaction
When approached by letsrecycle.com for comment, a spokesperson from Renewi said:
“We have been working with the Environment Agency to make various improvements to our Mechanical Biological Treatment Facility on the Sowerby Woods Industrial Estate in order to enhance the odour suppression capability of the facility.
“We take our responsibilities to the environment and the local community very seriously and are doing regular sampling and monitoring of our operations. Our offer of financial compensation to those residents who may have had a detrimental impact from our historical operations has been accepted by the Environment Agency as part of our enforcement undertaking.”
Trust
Michelle Waller, senior development officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust added that the Trust is “grateful” for the donation, and explained further what it will be used for.
“We are grateful for this donation which will be used to help protect the important wildlife on South Walney Nature Reserve, on the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula near Barrow,” she explained.
Temporarily closed
The plant was also put on hold in August 2013, five months after the site became operational, when Shanks temporarily closed the MBT due to a fly infestation (see letsrecycle.com story).
Shanks originally received planning permission on the Barrow MBT plant in 2010, one of two 75,000 tonne-per-year capacity facilities developed under the company’s 25-year, £720 million waste disposal contract with Cumbria county council, which was signed in 2011.
Since then, the company has warned that the contract is proving ‘onerous’ as part of its 2016 financial report.
Changes
The Environment Agency documents, released this morning, highlight the action which has been undertaken by Shanks.
This was outlined as: “Site improvement works, Testing/monitoring, New sampling methodology, New procedures, Responsible person, Regular liaison meetings, Actions to benefit impacted third parties and Environment Agency cost recovery.”
The offer is thought to have accepted between February and June of this year, although it may have been accepted as far back as September 2017, but only published now.
The post Renewi donates £60,000 over MBT odour appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
