Waste disposal company Minosus is planning to use the Winsford Rock Salt Mine in Cheshire as a facility to store 100,000 tonnes of hazardous wastes each year if the plan makes it through one final legal challenge.
A court date of November 22 has been set for a High Court case brought by local residents concerned about vehicles needed to transport material into the facility.
Minosus, a joint venture between US company Salt Union and Onyx Environmental, originally applied for the PPC permit in 2001, but delays in gaining planning permission have meant the permit could not be granted until now.
The facility has about two million cubic metres of void space, which depending on waste density could mean a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. After 20 years, the permit would have to be renewed if the company wishes to continue placing hazardous wastes in the mine.
Materials likely to be taken to the facility include contaminated soils, residues from the non-ferrous metals and inorganic chemicals sectors as well as residues from waste management facilities and thermal processes.
Prioritised
The Environment Agency has prioritised the project following changes to the co-disposal regulations on hazardous waste, which has meant a massive drop in the number of facilities in the UK able to accept hazardous wastes.
The Agency said there are very few landfill sites in the North West region able to accept such wastes, and so the Minosus site at Winsford “could provide a much-needed, safe and unobtrusive route for disposal.”
Commenting on the permit, Agency South Area manager Annette Pinner said: “As with all sites regulated by the Environment Agency, Minosus' activity at Winsford Mine will be assessed frequently and rigorously for compliance, in line with the most up-to-date and stringent environmental legislation.”
Roger Shaw, managing director of Minosus, told letsrecycle.com he was “delighted” at reaching this stage in the process after months of discussions with the Agency.
As for the next stage for the facility, Mr Shaw explained: “A court date has now been set at Novermber 22 – which is a little later than we had thought – but if the challenge is rejected, we would be looking at starting operations in summer 2005. We are particularly keen to time that with the full implementation of the Waste Acceptance Criteria.”
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