Walleys Quarry Ltd (WQL), the operator of the controversial landfill site in Silverdale, has gone into liquidation. This has raised serious concerns about who will now take responsibility for managing the site’s ongoing environmental impact.

The Environment Agency (EA) revoked WQL’s permit following years of complaints about noxious fumes and poor site management. In November 2023, the EA issued a closure notice, citing significant risks of long-term pollution. The order banned the site from accepting any new waste and required WQL to cap the landfill to prevent further gas and odour emissions. However, with the company now in liquidation, the future of the site remains uncertain.

Who Will Take Responsibility?

Residents, who had hoped for relief after the closure order, now fear the issue will persist. Complaints about the stench date back to 2011, and many worry that WQL’s liquidation allows it to evade its obligations. Environmental campaigners argue that liquidation should not absolve the company of its responsibility to manage the site’s environmental impact.

The EA has pledged to work with liquidators to enforce environmental compliance. A spokesperson confirmed that an assessment found “no immediate serious risks of pollution or harm to human health” but assured that the agency would use its legal powers to instruct specialist contractors if necessary.

Residents and campaign groups had fought for years to have the landfill closed, citing ongoing health concerns linked to the site’s emissions. The Stop the Stink campaign continues to demand accountability, warning that local children may suffer long-term consequences from prolonged exposure to landfill gases.

Former sustainability lecturer Sharon George believes the financial burden of managing the site will now fall to local authorities, a pattern seen in other waste industry failures where companies abandon sites, leaving councils to deal with the aftermath.

WQL had appealed the closure notice before its liquidation, arguing that keeping the site open was the most sustainable option. However, with the company now dissolved, that appeal is no longer valid. For now, residents remain frustrated, fearing they will endure the landfill’s effects for years, while authorities work out the next steps.