The amount of waste being taken to Thanet council’s Dane Park depot has been so huge that a 2,180 tonne pile had to be removed by a contractor in November and December at a cost of £275,000.
The waste is from maintenance of open spaces across the district which is brought to the depot at the end of each day.
A report to councillors says: “The amount of waste being brought to the depot was greater than the capacity available in the system that was in place for the disposal of waste. At the time of (a) visit in September the council was storing 2,180 tonnes of waste at the depot. The depot has a T23 waste exemption certificate (which) means a maximum of 60 tonnes can be stored on site at any one time and the waste stored must be suitable for composting.”
Exceeding the 60 tonne limit of the licence meant the council was at risk of sanctions being imposed by the Environment Agency (EA) which could include substantial fines and custodial sentences for non-compliant waste activities.
The waste pile was discovered when the council’s Head of Coastal and Public Realm, appointed early September, visited the depot to check the location for installing electric charging points.
In November Mears Group Plc provided an estimate of £225,000 to remove the waste mountain, which had built up over several years. The fee amount was able to be approved by officers.
However, the final cost came in at £275,000, meaning Cabinet members now need to issue retrospective approval.
Removal of the waste included 109 journeys by 20 tonne lorry:
All waste has now been disposed. Officers have put in place measures to avoid breaching the waste limit in future.
Actions include
- Fencing off the land where the waste was removed.
- Ensuring no further waste is deposited in the fenced off area.
- Ensuring waste is stored only in the authorised location within Dane Park Depot.
- Ensuring waste on site does not exceed 60 tonnes at any one time by requesting disposal of the waste once it reaches the maximum capacity in the authorised location.
A report to Cabinet members also says there is an issue with the current wood chipping machine, which is 20 years old, as the engine/injectors keep breaking down. This prevents the tree team from reducing and managing their waste.
The Head of Coastal and Public Realm is undertaking a capital bid for a new larger wood chipper with a wider load capacity at a cost of around £50,000.
Cabinet members will discuss the report at a meeting on January 25.
