Eco invests to tackle odours at composting site

Organics recycling firm Eco Sustainable Solutions has invested 1 million in its Parley site in a bid to eliminate obnoxious odours following complaints from local residents and a warning from the Environment Agency.

The Dorset-based composter has received numerous complaints regarding odour from the composting process which date back as far as 2006, according to the Agency. Following a formal caution, a daily odour survey and a visit from the Agencys national odour expert the company was served four enforcement notices on December 20 2013.

Following the completion of the 1 million upgrade, the firm claims it has eliminated all obnoxious odours from the site. The investment includes the purchase of a 250,000 compost windrow turner a German-built Backhus 17-series new pre-screening and screening processes and a re-organisation of the 13 acre site with food waste to be processed at another location in Dorset.

Managing director Trelawney Dampney said: Eco has always tried to be a good neighbour but we recognise that in the past we’ve suffered from odour issues. Weve listened, taken on board comments and now acted. It’s cost a million pounds but we believe it’s a good investment for both ourselves and our neighbours.

No biological process will be totally free of smells but the new equipment and systems we’ve put in place have eliminated all obnoxious odours and about 80% of smells. The handling of food waste was one of the main reasons for the complaints. We still use the Parley site as a transfer station but the actually processing of food waste is now done elsewhere.

Eco processes 150,000 tonnes of organic material at the Parley site with an additional 100,000 tonnes treated across three other facilities. The firm has also received planning permission from Dorset county council to add an anaerobic digestion plant to the site.

Significant improvement

A statement released by the Agency this week (April 8) said the firm was now compliant with three out of the four notices: The Environment Agency has served four enforcement notices on ESS since 20 December 2013. The notices required them to move from a block system to open windrows for both their green and in-vessel composting. ESS have also been required to improve the aeration of their leachate lagoons, improve the integrity of their food reception building and produce a new environmental management system and odour management plan.

The operator has complied with three of the notices and is on course to comply with the fourth notice at the end of April 2014. They have made significant improvements on site and have stopped their in-vessel composting activities.

Eco had applied for a variation to their environmental permit to include a street sweepings plant at the site, so they can process road sweepings and gully washings. The public consultation ended on 12 December 2013. The Agency noted that this application has been withdrawn and will not be resubmitted until after a period of maintained compliance on site.