Envar Facility Community Briefing Page

Overview

Welcome to the Envar facility community briefing page.

As the primary regulator of Envar composting facility, we publish this page to share information about the site, potential changes, and to outline some of our activities to keep the public informed. We aim to provide an update when we have new information regarding operations on site, or regarding applications to amend the permitted activities.

Update November 2025

Permit Variation Update

We can confirm that the recent variation application submitted to us by Envar Composting Limited EPR/GP3930DF/V006 remains under consideration.

Due to the high volume of public interest and objections received we have nominated the application as of High Public Interest status which means that, once fully assessed, if we (the Environment Agency) are minded to issue a permit variation, then a further public consultation will take place.

This second consultation would allow the public to view and comment on the proposed permit (minded to issue) and we would notify interested parties online here when it becomes available to view on the Environment Agency Permitting Citizen Space.

Trial Period for Sewage Treatment Processing

The two-week approved Trial has been undertaken.

Odour Complaints

We have noticed recent peaks in odour reporting received from the general public which appear to coincide with calls to action on local social media. Whilst all reports are appreciated, we would urge members of the community to report concerns at the time they are experienced as this gives us the opportunity to investigate whilst the odour is still present, and to correlate with specific data and other factors present.

We do appreciate that odour has a negative impact on day-to-day life for people living in and around the source.  We are keen to identify and confirm sources where possible, giving due consideration to the presence of Envar Composting Ltd and other potential sources in the vicinity. Our National Odour Team has been advising us on plotting the reporting patterns and this exercise will be repeated in 2026.

You can report odour concerns online via this link https://www.gov.uk/report-smell and we would request that you are as explicit as possible regarding the type of odour that you detect, ‘what does it smell like’, in addition to the impact of the odour ‘how much does it smell’. It is important to detail specific dates, times and locations at which the odour was detected and to report the odour at the time.

You can also report odour concerns and other environmental incidents by calling the 24 Hour Incident Line on 0800 807060.  

We need to prioritise incident response (as detailed in the document linked below) and therefore are unable to physically attend all reports. 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-customer-service-commitment--2/environment-agency-customer-service-commitment

We increased monitoring during the Trial period, between 10 September 2025 and 9 October 2025, bringing in additional Officers so that we could investigate a higher proportion of public reports.  Though it was noted that public reports did not increase significantly during the Trial period, we were able to identify 4 instances of odour emanating from Envar Composting Ltd impacting the local community.

In order to officially substantiate an odour report as a breach of permit we are required to evidence that it;

1. originated from a permitted area and
2. that the operator has failed to comply with their permit conditions in a way which has led to the escape of odour into the community.   

Odour Audit

In addition to the regular site inspections which include monitoring of ‘off site’ pollution in terms of odour, noise and litter, we have conducted an in-depth audit in relation to odour management. This audit has involved Senior Environment Officers and Specialists from the region to compliment the work of the local Waste Regulation Team.

The Odour Audit process

We identified that the new Online National Reporting tool for odour which had been utilised by members of the public, did not allow for a description of ‘what the odour smelt like’. The online tool has subsequently been improved.

We conducted an email-based survey seeking further information, in relation to odours experienced, in order to ascertain the extent of community experience. A questionnaire was sent out to all incident reporters who contacted the Environment Agency (during a peak reporting period 15 to 20 August 2025 and did not report anonymously) seeking to establish greater detail and any patterns in detection. We received only 7 responses which did not provide sufficient data to improve understanding.

We conducted a desk-based review of Envar Composting Ltd Odour Management Plan and procedures, followed by a site visit to establish how the procedure was applied on site. These reviews are detailed in the linked Compliance Assessment Reports (CAR) available here: View registration EPR/GP3930DF

We found that the site was compliant with their permit in relation to odour management.

We also conducted a desk-based review focused on filter management.  The CAR related to this will be live on the public register via the link above in due course.

We focused on filter management since they are integral to the management of odour in relation to the In Vessel Composting (IVC) process. Envar was found to be compliant with their permit but the review did identify some room for improvement in line with Best Available Techniques (BAT), this was raised with Envar Composting Ltd and we will follow up in 2026.

Enhanced Odour Regulation Training has been undertaken by Brampton Waste Team Officers and Team Leader.

Conclusion

Inspections of Envar Composting Ltd have shown them to be compliant with their permit in relation to odour management, however there is potential for improvement within the filter management process which may have a positive impact on reducing odour emissions. This has been shared with Envar in a CAR under the heading Advice and Guidance and we will review progress on improvement in 2026.

During this enhanced period of inspection, 3 breaches of permit not related to odour management have been noted and recorded in the CAR dated 11 September 2025, they relate to the fire on site dated 18 August 2025 and storage of waste on unmade ground.

Our Objective

We are responsible for granting or refusing environmental permits, setting the conditions, and making sure that permit holders comply with them.

For existing activities that already hold an Environmental Permit we carry out periodic audits and inspections to check that the operators are complying with their permit conditions. If a breach of permit conditions is identified, we will investigate and take appropriate enforcement action; this action can range from advice and guidance through to prosecution for serious offences.

The Site

Envar Composting Facility, operated by Envar Composting Limited, is located in Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire centred on National Grid Reference TL 3361 75401.

Envar Composting has been operational since 2003 and currently have a permitted waste treatment and transfer operation for the manual sorting, shredding, bulking, and screening of up to 200,000 tonnes of waste per annum. Environmental Permit reference GP3930DF allows for the external processing of green waste and external windrow composting, recovery and disposal of non-hazardous waste, and drying of waste using biomass boilers to produce a quality PAS100 soil improver/ compost, and a compost like output (CLO).

Map above: indicating site location.

Our Role – Clinical waste incinerator

Should Envar apply for an Environmental Permit for the proposed clinical waste incinerator, our role is to determine whether to grant an Environmental Permit for this facility, and if we do, to regulate the activities detailed within that permit.

We will only issue a permit if we believe that harm to the environment, people, and wildlife will be minimised and that the operator can meet the conditions of the permit. Providing a business can prove that the proposed activities meet all the legal requirements, including environmental, technological and health requirements, then we are legally obliged to issue a permit, even if some people do not approve of the decision.

In determining whether to issue a permit we will take account of relevant environmental regulatory requirements and technical standards, information on local population and sensitive sites and the impact of noise and odour from traffic on site.

We are unable to take account of anything outside the remit of the Environmental Permitting Regulations, e.g. the proposed location of the site, which is done by the local authority via land use planning, and the impact of noise and odour from traffic travelling to and from the site.

Given the high levels of public interest surrounding the proposed clinical waste incinerator the application will be designated as high public interest, and we will consult with the public. We want to make the best decision when permitting. Listening to the views of others helps us to take account of concerns, or local environmental factors, that we may not be otherwise aware of.

We will take your consultation responses into consideration as part of our determination of the permit. If we decide to grant the permit we will explain how we made our decision and how we have addressed the concerns that were raised.

If a permit is issued for this activity, the Environment Agency will be responsible for assessing ongoing compliance with the conditions set within it. The permit will include conditions relating to management of the site, monitoring requirements and will set limits to control the level of pollutants that can be released to air, land or water.

Our Role – existing permitted activities

In relation to the already permitted activities at this site our role as an environmental regulator is to work with people and businesses. We provide advice and guidance and help them do the right thing for people and the environment. Where there’s a threat to people or the environment that can’t be resolved, we can use our enforcement powers, which can include prosecution.