The operators of a landfill site which caused an "eggy" stench that left nearby residents feeling sick have applied to deal with more waste.
Valencia, a waste management company, has applied for approval to handle a greater amount of recyclable waste at the Pilsworth Road facility, located on the boundary between Bury and Rochdale in Greater Manchester.
An unpleasant smell resembling rotten meat had been coming from the site for several months, prompting the Environment Agency (EA) to be alerted to oversee the situation following complaints from local residents.
A spokesman for Valencia said "the firm had applied to the agency for a permit to process material via a new recycling facility." The foul odor, referred to as the Pilsworth stink, raised concerns among local authorities, leading to demands for Valencia to lose its license. Following this, the Environment Agency implemented new monitoring facilities in the area, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. After a meeting with the agency earlier this year, the operator agreed to halt waste acceptance and conducted engineering work to address the smell. In a separate development, Valencia obtained approval for a new recycling center near the M66 motorway in December of last year. The company has now submitted an application to begin processing the waste already present at the landfill in the new facility.
"This is a significant investment in recycling infrastructure and will see any recyclable material removed and sent for reprocessing before residual waste is landfilled at the existing site," a spokesman said.
An Environment Agency spokeswoman said the bid was being considered as work continued to "minimise the odour impacts" from the landfill.
Officers have been carrying out regular inspections and monitoring to improve the situation, including air quality testing using a mobile monitoring facility, she said.
A public consultation over Valencia's permit application is available to view online, where people can make comments until 23 August, she added.
Local resident Bernard Hirst from Unsworth said he and other residents were opposed to the firm's plans.
He said he feared Valencia would not meet its permit conditions, and said the EA's monitoring work should be allowed to finish before any further permissions are granted. Follow Manchester Today on Facebook, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Newsdesk@ManchesterToday.org.uk
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