SITA completes 16m Aberdeen landfill clean-up

The company was appointed by Aberdeen city council to clean-up and restore the Ness site in 2009 to prevent it becoming an environmental hazard.

The four-year project, part of SITAs wider 25-year waste management services contract awarded in July 2000, was carried out in conjunction with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) following testing to monitor and assess pollution from the councils former facility.

Situated two kilometres south of Aberdeen city centre, an estimated three million tonnes of household and commercial waste had been deposited at the 500,000 square metre Ness landfill site over a 30-year period.

Much of the waste deposited at the site was uncontained, leading to accumulation of contaminated waste water known as leachate which impacted groundwater and the nearby coastline. The emission of odorous landfill gas was also in breach of the sites environmental obligations.

Impact

As well as extensive landscaping to improve appearance, work carried out by SITA included installation of a cap to seal the site and prevent pollution of groundwater, systems to collect existing leachate within the site, and surface water collection systems to control water flow.
Capping has also controlled the escape of gas, which has been collected and could be used to generate electricity.

SITA regional engineering manager Edwin Farr explained: The condition of the former landfill site at Ness represented a real hazard.

Fortunately, we have been able to work closely with Aberdeen city council, Fairhurst, a local environmental consultancy, and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to address this. The systems we have installed along with the monitoring now in place, means that the site should no longer present a danger to the local environment.

Legacy

Discussing the future of landfill, Cllr Neil Cooney, the councils convener of housing and environment added: Aberdeen city council has had to commit significant funds to address the legacy of landfill. Whilst we are proud of the outcome, a major project delivered on time and under budget, this site is a clear example of why we must move away from landfill.

Leaving unknown environmental legacies for future generations should be a thing of the past and we urge everyone to play their part by recycling where they can and supporting our efforts to develop a combined heat and power facility to gain value rather than future costs from non-recyclable waste.