Withyhedge landfill reopens after £10m upgrade

The Withyhedge landfill near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire was shut due to the odour concerns.  

The landfill was closed temporarily between 15 May 2024 and 6 January 2025 after the Welsh government called for an urgent review in response to the complaints.   

The opening was attended by members from local community councils, county councillors, MSs and MPs, and local organisations including Spittal School, Haverfordwest Airport, and Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services.  

Natural Resources Wales has conducted several compliance visits since the site reopened and has undertaken inspections looking at incoming waste, on site processes and the effectiveness of the revised procedures implemented by site owners Resource Management UK (RML). 

Currently the site is only accepting pre-qualifying materials from Dauson Environmental, but it is expected that it will recommence the acceptance of third-party wastes later in the year should it meet the waste acceptance criteria. 

What caused the ‘stinkbomb’ odour? 

An investigation by RML and specialist geotechnical engineers found that the odour was caused by compliant waste that reacted “uncharacteristically” when placed in the cell.  

RML said that they have implemented a series of new measures at a cost of £10 million to ensure the event is not repeated. 

This included improvements to the site gas management, enhanced monitoring and recording instrumentation and additional flares.  

The company also reviewed and revised its waste acceptance and waste testing procedures. 

Alongside the improvements, RML will fund an additional 12 months of static air quality monitoring at nearby Spittal School. 

The site owners hope that this, alongside the air quality sensors around the perimeter of the Withyhedge site and others within the surrounding community, will enable it to effectively monitor and assess odours. 

RML director David Neal said: “I would like to thank the local community for their understanding through this challenging time; we are a part of the community, and we want to continue to be a good neighbour. We will continue with regular updates and more site visits later this year.”