Answers to common questions about Walleys Quarry
What permits are issued for the site and how is the activity monitored?
The Environment Agency (EA) issued an Environmental Permit for Walleys Quarry on the 9 June 2005, to Lafarge Aggregates Limited.
The permit was transferred to Red Industries RM Limited on the 3 November 2016.
The environmental permit is currently held by Walleys Quarry Limited (formerly Red Industries RM Limited).
The permit allows the operation of a non-hazardous waste landfill with a separate cell for stable non-reactive hazardous waste (SNRHW) (gypsum and asbestos).
The operator has never used a separate cell and therefore SNRHW is not accepted.
The total quantity of waste allowed to be accepted at Walley's Quarry is 400,000 tonnes per year.
Non-hazardous waste includes municipal and industrial wastes.
The permit also allows the operation of:
- a leachate treatment plant for management of leachate arising from the landfill
- landfill gas engine and flare for treatment and utilisation of landfill gas from the landfill.
Monitoring is required by the operator for landfill gas, leachate, surface water and groundwater at several points at the facility at different frequencies (weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual).
Permit conditions
No landfill will ever be completely odour free. However, the level and type of odour arising from such operations should not be causing pollution off-site.
The permit conditions require an Environment Agency officer to make a judgement about whether an odour is likely to cause pollution off-site and they can only take enforcement action where the operator is not using all appropriate measures.
Where the EA substantiate an odour at a level likely to cause pollution, they score this according to the Compliance Classification Scheme (CCS) guidance.
Repeated substantiated odour breaches may result in escalation particularly when no improvement plan is proposed by the operator. In this situation the EA is obliged to consider an enforcement response in accordance with the published Enforcement and Sanctions guidance which you can find on their website.