Food Waste Collection Q and A
See also Food Waste Collections: residents' concerns.
Round Hill's ward Councillor, Pete West submitted two written questions to the Council meeting on 19th December 2024.
Below are Pete's questions and the answers given by Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services.
But firstly if you are Troubled by smell or industrial noise from The Waste Transfer Station at Hollingdean Depot and are influenced by Cllr Rowkins invitation to report unpleasant odours to Veolia &/or himself, note that you should first phone (free from landlines):
The Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60for it is they who set and control the terms of Veolia's licence
Note too that most residents concerns relate to The Waste Transfer Station. It was not intended that Cllr Rowkins should be asked about The Materials Recovery Facility.
36 Councillor West
At a public meeting held on 23 June 2005, residents were assured by experts that the Waste Transfer Station and Materials Recovery Facility to be built at Hollingdean, would be “a modern facility, designed in such a way that odour releases are thoroughly trapped and filtered... and it was guaranteed that “you won’t see odours or anything else which would offend you”. This is taken from a transcript of a recording made at the meeting (which is still available). Far from being a state-of-the-art facility fit and able to contain odorous organic waste, this facility, agreed to by the Labour administration, has from day one blighted residents' lives with the stench of waste; forcing them to keep windows shut and unable to enjoy their gardens in summer. Does the Council recognise this is an unacceptable state of affairs?
[Residents' note: The promise by Veolia's expert Roger Barrowcliffe that odour releases would be thoroughly trapped and filtered relates to The Waste Transfer Station (NOT The Materials Recovery Facility). See full transcript of public meeting on 23rd June 2005 when this promise was made. However, Councillor Rowkins's reply (below) relates to The Materials Recovery Facility, which is NOT the building causing unacceptable odour nuisance, fire risk and noise pollution.]
Reply from Councillor Rowkins
Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
Thank you for your question. Hollingdean Material Recovery Facility (MRF) operated by Veolia, plays a crucial role in managing waste and recycling for the city. It operates in full compliance with the site’s planning consent and environmental permit, which includes an odour management plan.
The facility is regularly inspected by the Environment Agency and local council officers.
Veolia has made several enhancements to ensure the site operates in accordance with industry best practices. Recently, they replaced the hall doors with a model that opens and closes much faster than the previous ones. Additionally, extra odour suppression units equipped with carbon filters have been installed to help extract dust and odours from the air. These improvements complement existing measures, including priority haulage to minimise waste levels, deep cleaning of the building twice a year, proactive replacement of worn panels, and annual odour management training for site staff.
If local residents notice any unpleasant odours in the air, we encourage them to contact Veolia immediately at 01273 511310. The site manager will survey the site and surrounding area to identify and address the source of the issue. Please also encourage residents to contact me so that I can monitor the issue.
37 Councillor West
Despite the best efforts of Veolia to ameliorate smells at the WTS, it has proved impossible to find a technical solution to the smell. In 2014 the Environment Agency identified the problem as “the design of the building and the nature of the waste received. The primary source is the food waste contained within domestic refuse. The only possible way for the council to remove that is for the local council to instigate separate waste collections for food waste”. So, with the advent of universal food waste collections, we have a once in a generation opportunity to resolve the 20 year problem created by the inability of the WTS to contain the odour of rotting food, by ensuring this is organic matter is taken directly and separately from door-step caddies to a different location away from homes. Where will that new food waste handling facility be located?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins
Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
The proposal for Hollingdean Waste Transfer Station (WTS) is to store food waste inside sealed containers when separate food waste collections commenced. These containers are effective at minimising the escape of odour. Veolia will ensure that the transfer station doors are closed when vehicles are tipping food waste into these containers. The containers will also be prioritised for onward haulage to the composting facility to minimise the amount of waste at the transfer station at any given time. Veolia has experience of handling food waste in this manner inside the transfer hall at Newhaven ERF, where food waste from Lewes District Council was tipped into similar types of containers. We are confident that a similar arrangement will work well at Hollingdean. As we will be rolling out food waste in stages, we will be able to identify any issues as we go and address them accordingly.
[Residents' note: compare the lesser proximity to residential properties and schools of Newhaven Energy Recovery Facility with the close proximity of Hollingdean Depot Brighton to the same, including residential tower blocks such as Dudeney Lodge and Nettleton Court. The Hollingdean site is also so tight in terms of space that The Waste Transfer Station was designed with no inner doors i.e. there is no barrier between the waste and the open air when the doors are opened. Moreover, vents designed to let air in also let odour out.]
