Peckfield Landfill Site

Our aim is to protect and improve the environment so everyone can enjoy the benefits of a clean, safe and healthy place to live, work and play.

We issue environmental permits that set standards for those operating waste management facilities including landfills like the site at Peckfield. The permit provides a list of conditions relating to waste types and volumes, construction and design of infrastructure, emission limits, and the location and frequency of environmental monitoring.

The operator, Caird Peckfield Limited (CPL) must comply with the strict conditions of its permit in order to minimise its impact on the environment and the local community. You can find a copy of the Peckfield Landfill Site environmental permit here and under the ‘Related’ section at the bottom of this page.

It is our role to assess compliance with the permit and to take appropriate regulatory action if we identify any breaches. We do so by reference to our enforcement and sanctions policy and the Government’s core guidance on environmental policy and with appropriate regard to the Regulators' Code.

The odour is primarily due to the uncontrolled release of landfill gas. This is because:

• There are unsealed gas extraction wells on recently capped areas.
• There are disconnected gas extraction wells. This is leading to increased surface emissions of landfill gas from the unconfined edge of the capping.
• There are surface emissions of landfill gas from uncapped areas.

The uncapped areas are also a source of waste odour.

Wind direction is not the only factor to consider when odour drifts off-site.  Cold drainage flows (aka katabatic flow) can act to disperse odour downhill in certain conditions, typically on clear, cold nights when there is little wind to disperse the odour.  We’ve produced a short animation to help explain this phenomenon here: How weather affects landfill sites 

The nature of the outstanding works to be completed on site mean the odours are likely to continue for the next few weeks, possibly months. 

The timescales for completion cannot be guaranteed, however we have been informed by Caird Peckfield Limited that installation of the capping membrane will be completed within the next three weeks (as of week commencing 26^th February 2024).  We continue to monitor progress closely and will seek to use additional enforcement tools if we do not see satisfactory progress.  Our monitoring includes assessing the gas and leachate wells and identifying necessary remedial actions where emissions of gas are continuing. 

Gas extraction levels must be set to ensure that air is not drawn into the waste as this can result in fires.  Where gas extraction wells are close to uncapped areas, extraction has to be stopped to reduce this risk and this is currently the case at Peckfield.  As capping progresses, extraction can commence in these areas and emissions of landfill gas to the atmosphere reduces as more gas is collected.   

Landfill sites are dynamic systems and have the potential to release odour, even when they are well managed with appropriate and well-maintained control systems in place.  With this in mind, and taking into account the proximity of Peckfield Landfill to the village of Micklefield, it is not possible to say that landfill gas odours will never be emitted.  However, the intensity of the odours currently being experienced are not normal for a landfill site.

Landfill gas is produced from the breakdown of biodegradable wastes.  Gas produced from the landfilled waste consists mainly of methane and carbon dioxide. It also contains varying amounts of nitrogen and oxygen (from the air) and small amounts of other trace components. The gas produced will vary with types of waste and age of the landfill.

Some of these trace gases can be odorous which can result in a distinctive eggy smell.

Landfill gas is managed through a combination of containment, extraction and treatment.  Gas is contained by the landfill lining and capping systems, extraction through a system of in-waste extraction wells and a network of pipes and passed to gas utilisation compound where it is treated via combustion, usually as a fuel for large engines that generate electricity. 

The combustion reduces the global warming and odour pollution potential of the emissions from the site.

This system needs to be progressively installed and well maintained throughout the life of the site.  Gas production at landfill sites that have accepted biodegradable waste can continue for decades following the stopping of waste being brought onto site.

Methane in air can result in an explosive atmosphere when in the range of 5% - 17%.  When on-site, these levels can be experienced at certain points, for example, a leaking gas well.  Our officers wear personal gas alarms that alert the user when entering a potentially explosive atmosphere. 

Although the level of odour you are experiencing is strong and extremely unpleasant, this is due to the range of trace gases found within landfill gas.  Methane itself is odourless, and levels beyond the site boundary will typically be at normal background levels of between 1 – 5 parts per million (ppm), and as such there is no risk of explosion due to high odour levels.  Levels above the background level of 1-5 ppm can be found in various residential locations, such as above sewer grates, or mains gas pipe leaks.

Methane can migrate through the ground and accumulate in confined spaces such as cellars and houses.  Landfill permits have specific monitoring conditions designed to identify whether sub-surface landfill gas migration is occurring.  This is monitored in the boreholes at the site boundary.  The are no indications that landfill gas is migrating through the ground beyond the site boundary.

Our knowledge of the problems at Peckfield mean that we are visiting the site regularly and, prior to going onto site, we undertake off-site odour assessments in accordance with the process outlined above.  Our visits to site often coincide with multiple reports being made to our incident hotline, so please be assured that we continue to assess odour from locations in Micklefield and the surrounding area.

Although we are unable to attend in response to every call and cannot resolve the odour nuisance immediately, reported incidents are one way in which we assess how a site is performing and whether improvements are working.

A Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) is used to record the findings of our site inspections, audits and monitoring activities, reviews of monitoring and other data/report. We use these forms to:

• Record our observations.
• Provide advice and guidance.
• Identify and score permit breaches and specify any remedial actions required.
• Inform the operator of enforcement action, if any, that we are considering.

We use our guidance on assessing and scoring environmental permit compliance to score permit breaches in accordance with our Compliance Classification Scheme (CCS).

The ‘Related’ section below includes links to Compliance Assessment Reports (CAR) following site inspections undertaken.  Links to CAR reports will continue to be added in line with the process outlined above.

While the site is no longer active (in terms of not accepting domestic type biodegradable waste), it is undergoing restoration work.  This includes the installation of a engineered capping membrane to seal the site, and the importation of soils for the restoration layer.  You should expect to see activities on site to bring in and place the soil needed for this work. We do not expect this will produce odours as the type of grassland proposed requires very little organic matter.

We will continue to regulate the site during these phases of work, in accordance with CPL’s operational procedures and their restoration plan.

Once restoration work has been completed, these areas will be seeded with grass in line with the planning conditions for the site.  Leeds City Council should be approached if you would like additional information on how the site will look in the future, in terms of matters such as site levels and planting.  

The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has recently updated their guidance on Impacts on health from landfill sites and you can view this here impacts on health of emissions from landfill sites. Any health concerns should be raised with a local GP or by calling the NHS helpline 111.

This message has been produced by the Environment Agency (EA) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in consultation with Leeds City Council to address heath concerns raised by the local community affected by Peckfield Landfill Site.

Peckfield Landfill Site: Reports of odour

We are aware that the local community are continuing to report odour pollution from Peckfield Landfill Site, Ridge Road, Micklefield, Leeds, LS25 4DW (the Site) operated by Caird Peckfield Limited (the Operator). We would like to thank residents for reporting their concerns and encourage them to keep doing so. 

The Site is operated under an environmental permit (EPR/BU9726IH) issued and regulated by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency has assessed that the operator is in breach of a number of their environmental permit conditions. A range of regulatory interventions and enforcement tools are being used by the Environment Agency to address these breaches, to bring the operator back into compliance with the environmental permit and to address the odour issues resulting from those breaches as quickly as possible.

We appreciate that this will be concerning, and residents will want the problem resolved as quickly as possible. In order to understand any potential impacts the odour may have on the local community’s health and wellbeing the Environment Agency have consulted with colleagues at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Leeds City Council.

The following information has been supplied by the UKHSA to assist the community address health concerns.

Are the odours causing or going to cause health effects?

We understand that unpleasant, strong smells can impact on quality of life and wellbeing, so we would like to explain more about the effects of odour on health and wellbeing, and what residents can do to reduce any associated symptoms.

The human nose is very sensitive. There are many things that have a strong smell at levels at which there are no direct harmful effects to health. However, strong smells are unpleasant and can impact on wellbeing leading to stress and anxiety. Some people may also experience symptoms, such as nausea, headaches, or dizziness, as a reaction to strong smells, even when the substances that cause those smells are themselves not harmful to health.

Short-term health effects may be experienced as a result of strong odours such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat. People who have health conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma, may experience increased frequency and/or severity of symptoms. With continuing exposure these effects may be prolonged but are not anticipated to continue long-term once exposure is reduced.

Landfill gas contains hydrogen sulphide which is a by-product as the on-site waste degrades.  The human nose is very sensitive to hydrogen sulphide which has a characteristic odour of rotten eggs. The first noticeable effect of hydrogen sulphide at very low concentrations is its unpleasant odour, which may cause discomfort and some short-term health effects. At higher concentrations it may cause eye, nose, and throat irritation. It may also disturb sleep if experienced at night at low levels.

What can I do to reduce symptoms caused by odour?

In order to limit the effects of the odour as much as possible, the UKHSA would advise:

• Close windows if there is an outdoor odour and open them once any outdoor odour has reduced.
• You could consider closing windows at night and opening them in the morning in the absence of odours which and are more likely to occur overnight and in the early hours of the morning when weather conditions are calm and still.
• Ventilate your property when there is no odour outdoors by opening windows and patio doors etc.
• Contact NHS 111 or your GP if you have concerns about your individual circumstances, feel unwell or require health advice.

Please continue to report odour to the free 24/7 Environment Agency incident hotline on: 0800 80 70 60.

Non compliances with the permit have been scored on our compliance assessment reports and records of these are at the bottom of this page.

 On the 12^{th of} December 2023 an enforcement notice was served under Regulation 36 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. This required CPL to undertake works to improve the site infrastructure, in order to bring CPL back into compliance with their permit. The deadline for the completion of these infrastructure works was 19 January 2023.

Our officers assessed compliance with the enforcement notice following the expiry of the deadlines and confirmed the requirements of the notice had not been complied with.  Non-compliance with an enforcement notice is an offence under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, as are non-compliances with permit conditions. 

Investigations will continue and further enforcement action is being considered in line with our Environment Agency Enforcement and Sanctions Policy. The policy outlines a range of available enforcement options that can be applied, one of which being prosecution.

This work is ongoing so we are unable to provide detailed information or specific updates on them. This includes providing timescales for completion.

How can you help?

Please keep reporting any incidences of odours to us. Please ring our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60. It is operational 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. 

For more information or to join our distribution list for the newsletter please contact micklefield@environment-agency.gov.uk