Westbury 13 Aug 26: Update & Community Odour Drop-in Reminder

We continue to identify unacceptable levels of odour beyond the boundary of the Northacre MBT facility, Westbury. We recognise the significant impact this is having on residents and understand the frustration caused by these ongoing odour issues.

Last week, we engaged with the site operator, Hills Waste Solutions and Wiltshire Council to reduce odour emissions from the site. We have required the operator to implement additional measures to reduce the impact of operations on the surrounding community. As an immediate step, we have required a reduction in the maximum quantity of waste accepted at the facility from 300 tonnes per day to 215 tonnes per day. We consider this restriction necessary to help reduce odour emissions while further operational improvements are implemented and assessed.

Wiltshire Council has a statutory responsibility to collect household waste across the county. This decision has therefore been taken following discussions with Wiltshire Council to ensure the greatest possible reduction in odour impacts to residents of Westbury while minimising disruption to essential public services. Due to the location of the facility and the logistics of Wiltshire Council's waste management network, it is not currently feasible to divert greater quantities of waste away from the site without creating a substantial risk of disruption to household waste collections and the accumulation of waste elsewhere in the county.

We want to reassure residents that this reduction is not the limit of our regulatory response. If the measures currently being implemented do not deliver a sufficient improvement in odour conditions, we will not hesitate to require further reductions in waste inputs and consider additional regulatory action where appropriate.

Alongside the reduction in waste tonnages, Hills Waste Solutions is carrying out further improvements within the facility. These include enhancements to deodorising systems and the installation of additional localised odour extraction measures designed to reduce emissions arising from site operations.

We will continue to closely monitor conditions at and around the site to assess the effectiveness of the measures. If odour impacts do not reduce sufficiently, we will ask Wiltshire Council to consider further actions to maintain household waste collection services while enabling additional reductions in waste tonnages received at the site

We would like to remind residents that next week, we are supporting Wiltshire Council with a community drop-in on Mon 17 Aug 26 (further details below), where we invite you to come and discuss the ongoing odour issues relating to the Northacre MBT facility with representatives from the organisations involved.

The Environment Agency remains committed to protecting people and the environment. We will continue to work with Hills Waste Solutions, Wiltshire Council and other relevant organisations to secure lasting improvements and reduce the impact on the local community.

Community Drop-in Event 17 August 2026

Westbury: Northacre MBT Odour Response Drop-in Event

Date: 17 August 2026
Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm (drop in anytime)
Location: The Laverton, 10 Bratton Rd, Westbury, BA13 3EN

Representatives from multiple agencies will be available to answer questions and provide information:

  • Environment Agency - Site regulation and odour monitoring. Contact: wessexenquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk

  • Wiltshire Council – Responsible for Environmental Health and statutory nuisance investigations. Wiltshire Council is also the Waste Disposal Authority and is responsible for the management of contracts relating to the treatment of local authority waste, including waste delivered to the Northacre Resource Recovery Centre. For more information: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/1833/Smells-and-odours(External link)

  • Health concerns, medical advice and Public Health issues – Wiltshire Council advise if you have any concerns about your health, please contact your GP or NHS 111 for individual medical advice in the first instance. If you have any further public health-related queries, you can email Wiltshire Council Public Health at publichealth@wiltshire.gov.uk, who can help direct your query to the most appropriate organisation for a response.