Mr Burley last week (August 9) wrote to the Environment Agency, in which he demanded that operations cease at Biffas AD plant on Lichfield Road in Cannock following odour complaints.
The Conservative MP said that the Agency had given Biffa until July 12 2013 to fit new odour limiting equipment at the plant such as chimney filters and gas bags. But despite this, he said, residents continued to suffer from foul odours.
He added that Biffa had failed to attend a public meeting on June 6 2013 to discuss the issue and said he was now calling for closing time on their operations.
However, responding to Mr Burley yesterday (August 13), Keith Woodward director of safety, legal and corporate services at Biffa said: Based upon our experience since the successful installation of the gas bag and filter on time as promised last month, we do not recognise what Mr. Burley is now saying is happening on the ground.
Poplars AD plant
The 120,000 tonnes-per-year capacity plant at the Poplars landfill site cost 24 million to develop and was described as the UKs largest AD facility when it opened in June 2011 (see letsrecycle.com story).
‘Based upon our experience since the successful installation of the gas bag and filter on time as promised last month, we do not recognise what Mr. Burley is now saying is happening on the ground’
Keith Woodward, Biffa’s director of safety, legal and corporate services
However, the plant has faced criticism from residents over odour levels and the Agency issued Biffa with an Enforcement Notice in October 2012 requiring the appointment of an external consultant to identify the causes of the odours.
Furthermore, in February 2013, Cannock Chase council announced that it had received a number of complaints from residents in and around the Newlands Park Estate about odour from the plant and deputy leader of the council, Janos Tuth, called on the Environment Agency to take tough enforcement action.
Biffa has since invested more than 800,000 on improvements at the site, including extra sealing of all plant doors; fitting of alarms on personnel doors so that they cannot be left open; and improvements in air circulation and cleaning inside the buildings.
Roofs were also added to the biofilters to help contain odour and, once air passes through these biofilters, it now goes through additional treatment before being released through a chimney.
The Agency originally gave Biffa until August 2012 to solve the odour problem, but the firm was granted extensions to allow improvements to be made by July 2013.
Commenting on his letter to the Environment Agency this week, Mr Burley said: Time is now up for Biffa. They were initially given until August 2012 to reduce the odours to acceptable levels, and then this was extended to March 2013, and again until July 2013.
It is not acceptable for my constituents to continue to suffer from these foul odours, and enough is enough. In June Biffa were told by the Environment Agency that they were drinking in the last chance saloon today I am calling for closing time on their operations.
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