Legal action possible over composting site's stench
LEGAL action could be taken against a foul-smelling composting plant after nearly 400 complaints in just two months.
The Downend Composting Plant in Fareham has been responsible for a decade of nasty niffs, dubbed the 'Portchester Pong'.
But recently it has got worse with the Environment Agency saying there were 390 complaints about the smell in September and October.
After an investigation the agency said Veolia Environmental Services – the firm which runs the plant – had breached its environmental permit on 15 occasions for the level of pong it produced.
Agency spokesman Nigel Wonnacott said a breach was 'quite serious'.
'With this recent spike of complaints we have had to spend a lot of time and resources investigating and monitoring it,' he said.
'If there are enough breaches it could lead to prosecution if the problem continues. The community needs to see that we are taking this seriously.'
The Environment Agency said it was working closely with Veolia on a new management plan to minimise the pong.
But it has already rejected one draft for not doing enough to prevent the smell.
And because of the amount of work carried out by the agency, it is looking at increasing the cost of Downend's annual environmental permit from 2,000 to about 6,000.
Ward councillor Roger Price has been campaigning on behalf of the residents since the composting facility opened.
He said: 'It has taken nine years to get this far – something like this should have been done in year one.
'I think it's a pity the Environment Agency didn't grasp the nettle earlier.
'They are still looking at what action they can take because of the amount of complaints.'
Several measures have been introduced in the past in a bid to crack the problem, including installing a new, faster composting machine in 2004 by then-contractor Onyx.
And throughout 2007 a new product, BAT 506, was used to try to stop the smell but Fareham council still received 299 complaints – up 45 on the year before.
Veolia Environmental Services spokeswoman Joanna Dixon said: 'We are aware of the odour issues at the Downend Composting Site and, working in partnership with the Environment Agency, will continue to take measures to minimise the issues experienced by residents.
'Measures taken include the installation of odour suppressants, the use of an innoculant on the green waste and the use of mobile deodorisers when necessary.
'It is our intention to stop receiving green waste at the site by the end of 2010 and to cease composting operations entirely by the end of June 2011.'
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Friday 25 May 2012
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