A landfill operator has been given the green light to build and operate a plant to treat liquid draining from a waste site near Eccleshall. Landfilling was suspended at the site at Swynnerton Road, Cold Meece, more than a decade ago.
But leachate – the liquid that drains from the landfill – still needs to be dealt with to remove chemicals, pollutants and toxins that could harm the environment.
Staffordshire County Council’s planning committee this week granted permission for Biffa Waste Services to construct and run a leachate treatment plant and equipment at Meece Landfill. Committee members were told that the proposals would improve the existing treatment of leachate and should not cause any adverse impact to the environment.
A report to the committee said: “Landfilling at the site was suspended in 2010/11. The remaining void space at the landfill site is a valuable long-term resource for the disposal of hazardous wastes. Those areas of the site that have been filled to final levels are in restoration. Landfill operations are currently required to cease no later than 30 September 2035. The applicant is working to reduce the quantity of leachate that has built up within the site over several years, to a level that can be maintained long term.
“The current method of leachate removal is considered unsustainable, and Biffa has explored different methods to treat the leachate on site to a condition suitable for discharge direct to surface water if of a suitable quality or to foul sewer if this cannot be achieved.
“This will minimise the need to export leachate from the site by road. The ‘reverse osmosis’ method of treatment, subject of this application, has been identified as the most suitable for this site.
“The RO process would facilitate the treatment of leachate to remove organic and inorganic contaminants. The plant includes a three-stage process which would produce a permeate of suitable quality for discharge to surface water or sewer.
“The plant has been designed to treat and discharge up to 150m3 per day of non-hazardous leachate and would operate continuously for 24 hours per day. This equates to 54,750m3 of leachate treated per year (54,750,000 litres).”
Eight members of the public raised concerns about the proposals, including potential noise and odour. There was also uncertainty about whether or not the proposal would treat leachate from other sites.
But committee members heard that the plant would operate at a sound level of measured background noise. And the plant would only treat leachate from the landfill site.
The report to the committee stated that around 10 tankers per week would remove concentrate from the site initially, and there would be around six deliveries a year of supplies including chemical dosing agents. Maintenance staff visits in light vans would be as required and vehicle movements would be within the approved operational hours for the landfill, which are 7.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7.30am to 4.40pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The report added: “Even with the proposed leachate treatment plant operational, it is likely that, while the legacy leachate is removed, one or two tankers a day will be required to export the concentrate from the leachate, from site. After approximately three years, this will reduce further.
“The operation of the plant will ensure a long-term sustainable solution to the control of leachate at the site. Permanent planning permission is sought for the development.
“However, the plant would be removed when it is no longer necessary to manage leachate at the adjacent landfill site. The application area would be restored in accordance with a restoration and aftercare plan that would be submitted at the appropriate time.”
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