The landfill is located near Chesterfield and was closed to residual waste due to ongoing engineering works.
The landfill was still open to inert and restoration waste, and the company described such closures to residual waste as “routine”.
A Valencia spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “Following completion of key engineering milestones onsite, Erin landfill will re-open for limited tipping of waste in the coming days.
“This is designed to support key customers and local and regional businesses, and the Environment Agency has been informed.”
It is understood that the site will gradually work its way up to accept usual volumes.
The site has been the target of hundreds odour complaints in recent months, with residents complaining of a “sickening smell” and “a plague of flies”.
It is unclear whether the ongoing engineering works were related to these issues.
Erin was one of seven landfills which Valencia confirmed as closed “for engineering works” last week. The operator has claimed that the other six sites will take “a phased approach to re-opening”.
Alongside other landfill closures across the country, it has sparked fears of a capacity crisis for residual waste – particularly within the north of England.
Insiders said the development is a “perfect storm” as demand from Energy from Waste (EfW) is down due to the summer months, making it even harder to find a home for the displaced tonnage.
At the same time, haulage costs are at a high right due to the Iran War, making it more expensive for companies to transport the waste down south for treatment.
The crisis has seen many operators forced to close overnight and has created a major surplus in the market, which in turn has caused gate fees to soar.
One source told letrecycle.com that they had seen prices rise to between £200 and £250 per tonne, while another said they had risen by as much as 90% in the space of a week and are now over £250.
Scottish landfill ban
The situation has been exacerbated by the Scottish landfill ban, which came into effect at the beginning of this year.
However, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has announced that it will only enforce the Scottish landfill ban from 1 January 2028, as long as certain conditions are met.
This was attributed to additional Energy from Waste (EfW) capacity coming online between 2026 and 2027.
Industry experts warned in June 2025 that the ban would result in waste being transported to England for landfilling or EfW purposes – due to a lack of capacity for incineration in Scotland.
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