Campaigner Calls Landfill Closure “Absolutely Amazing”

A campaigner, who asserted that fumes from a landfill near her residence had negatively impacted her young son’s health, has described the facility’s impending closure as “absolutely amazing.” Walleys Quarry in Silverdale, Staffordshire, was issued a closure notice, which prevents it from accepting new waste materials starting Friday. The site has been the focus of a legal dispute spanning several years, concerning its emissions, odor, and the effects on local residents. Rebecca Currie’s son, Matthew, experienced breathing difficulties due to being born prematurely with chronic lung disease, and Ms Currie stated that noxious gases from the landfill exacerbated his symptoms. She had previously initiated legal action regarding the matter. “I never thought this day was going to happen,” said Ms Currie. “We fought and fought for years, and to get a phone call… that this was closing was amazing.” A spokesperson for Walleys Quarry Ltd, the site’s operator, confirmed the receipt of the closure notice from the Environment Agency (EA) and indicated that the company intends to challenge it. On Thursday evening, Ms Currie was among dozens of campaigners and local residents who gathered at the landfill’s gates to observe a steady stream of lorries departing the premises. “Our community have suffered. We’ve got kids who are really poorly, people have moved homes,” she told BBC Midlands Today. She concluded, “It’s disgusting, it is a poorly-run landfill, end of.” The EA stated its conclusion that the landfill site’s management was “poor” and that continued operation could lead to “significant long-term pollution.” However, a spokesperson for Walley’s Quarry asserted that the company rejects the EA’s accusations concerning inadequate management. The EA further commented, “The notice is the first step towards permanently closing the Newcastle-under-Lyme site.” The agency also stated, “We have every sympathy with the local community and our decision to issue a closure notice demonstrates our commitment to doing all we can to resolve the problem of fugitive landfill gas emissions from the site.”