Clock Ticks Down For Gilberdyke / Newport Tip Operators

As Chairman of the Gilberdyke/Newport Landfill Site Liaison Committee it is my understanding that unless a very late agreement is reached, as from mid-night tonight the Tip will be subject to an Environment Agency (EA) stop notice, meaning that no more waste will be permitted to enter the site until an acceptable plan to reduce the height of the waste mountain is put forward by site operators City Plant Ltd. which importantly must meet with the approval of the Environment Agency.

It should be noted that if agreement is not reached waste WILL NOT be allowed to enter the site, but some restoration (or engineering materials) such as soil, rubble and shredded tyres will be permitted, therefore we may see HGV movements from time to time.

On talking to the Council’s officers this morning I am reassured that the Tip is one of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) priorities, and officers are watching developments over the next couple of days with interest before considering what action the Council will take, I know that any enforcement action requires a methodical approach, which invariably takes time, but the first steps have been taken including measuring the precise height of the Tip last autumn, and recently sending the first stage of enforcement letter.

It is important to recognise that although the ERYC and the EA are both regulatory bodies they have been able and continue to work together to find solutions to the problems with the Tip , with a good example being the Council measuring the tip height and obviously sharing this with the Agency to prevent duplication. Unfortunately the ownership of the site changed in mid-December of last year which has made things difficult as the two regulatory bodies have had to deal with different people.

To reduce the height of the Tip will mean that waste will have to be uncapped and pushed into the remaining void space at the west of the site; this would create an almighty stink but it would be temporary, before it is recapped. What is not known is if there is sufficient capacity in the void to allow this to happen – or conversely if any space would remain to allow further tipping.

One thing is for certain; Whatever happens, I would not like to see any lorry loads of waste being removed from the site, as this would be intolerable for residents.

Ultimately I would like to see the tip filled, capped off and completed as soon as possible – and for HGV movements through our villages, to and from the site to stop.

I would also like to see something done with the gas that the capped off tip will produce consistently for the next 25 years, because I certainly don’t want the site to stink for another half a generation.