Fire at Viridor landfill in Somerset causes collection delays
Residents in east Somerset are being warned that waste and recycling collections may be ‘disrupted’ following a surface fire at Viridor’s Dimmer Landfill Restoration site.
The fire, which broke out at the site near Castle Cary in east Somerset on Friday (27 June), occurred in a landfill cell used for the reception of non-hazardous domestic and trade waste.
Three first and support appliances were sent to the scene to extinguish the fire and reduce the amount of smoke emanating from the site. Fire and rescue services are still onsite to dampen down materials and extinguish any hot spots, but it is thought that the operation will be ‘scaled down’ by the end of the day. Health agencies have stated that the health risks posed by the fire are ‘negligible’.
Waste management company Viridor stated that it has brought in additional equipment to enable soil smothering, while a spokesperson for the company added: “Viridor’s UK compliance team will continue to cooperate with colleagues from the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, the Environment Agency and local authorities to undertake a review of the causes of the fire and to provide any further advice to local parties as required.”
More pictures of Dimmer tip fire near Castle Cary over the weekend http://t.co/3D4aeruS39 pic.twitter.com/YTjMrSFXtw
— Western Gazette (@TheWesternGaz) June 29, 2015
Collections to return to normal by Friday
South Somerset District Council has warned residents that, due to the fire, there could be disruption to some rubbish collections and the local recycling site.
Although the Castle Cary (Dimmer) recycling site is expected to remain open as usual, the council stated that residents may face some disruption at times to ‘give priority for fire service vehicles and ensure safety’.
Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) added that it has been re-routing all waste vehicles that usually drop off refuse at the Dimmer site to other local disposal and transfer sites (including Walpole, near Bridgwater and Broadpath, Devon), which may lead to ‘some delays’ to refuse collections in the east of Somerset.
However, residents are still being urged to continue placing out their bins by 7 a.m. even if the bins ‘need to be left out for longer’ for collection.
Any missed kerbside collections should be reported to the district council customer services.
The council has said it will try and return collections to normal by the end of the week.
The fire at the landfill site comes just weeks after a blaze at Viridor's waste transfer station in Crawley, West Sussex, after refuse in a waste lorry caught alight.
According to fire services, flames were extinguished the same day, after a crew member drove the vehicle out of the building to allow better access to the seat of the fire, and prevent the building from suffering further damage.
Waste site fires commonplace
Fires at waste sites are commonplace, with figures released in 2013 showing that between 2001 and 2012, the average rate of fires at waste and recycling works came in at just under one per day.
In an attempt to prevent fires from occurring, the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum has issued new guidance to help waste site operators reduce fire risk.
Endorsed by the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA), and developed with input from the Environment Agency (EA), the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety Laboratories (HSL), and other bodies, the guidance outlines how best to safely manage the storage of materials susceptible to combustion.
The Operations Director of the CFOA, Roy Wilsher, said that the guidance was “hugely useful”.
Find out more about waste fire guidance or the fire at Viridor’s Dimmer Landfill Restoration site.
