Community Update: Westbury 17 July 26

As part of the Environment Agency's requirement for the operator to implement an action plan to reduce odour levels, officers visited the Westbury site this week to review the works completed during the closure period and discuss progress with the operator.

As outlined in our previous update, Hills temporarily closed its Northacre Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) facility in Westbury for two weeks to carry out maintenance on one of the biohall cranes. This work has now been completed, and Hills has advised us that the facility is expected to reopen on Monday 20 July, with waste acceptance resuming from that date. We will continue to complete site inspections and respond to odour reports to ensure that this work has reduced odour levels.

Further information from Hills about this decision is available here: https://www.hills-waste.co.uk/news/northacre-mbt-lower-compton-landfill-and-ukhsa-report

During the closure period, Environment Agency officers have continued to investigate odour reports and have met with local residents to better understand their concerns. We would like to clarify that the odours reported in Westbury are not linked to hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), which is the issue currently being experienced by residents in Calne. The odour that can be smelt in Westbury is most likely to be associated with volatile organic compounds, volatile fatty acids, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones. This is typical for "bottom of a bin" odour that is being reported.

We have also received reports of increased fly activity during the plant closure. At present, we cannot specifically attribute this to the facility. Factors such as weather conditions and nearby livestock may be contributing to the presence of flies.

We recognise the impact that odour and environmental concerns can have on local communities and understand the frustration they can cause. We remain committed to engaging directly with residents in Westbury and are working with Wiltshire Council to arrange a community engagement event in August, where people will have the opportunity to discuss their concerns and hear updates from the agencies involved.