Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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New research gives landfill sites a green future
Restoring landfill sites by turning them into greenspace, such as woodland, parkland or farmland is now possible, new research published today shows.
Many local people find landfill sites detrimental to their local area and a common solution is for councils to close them over with a compacted clay cap to seal up the waste. There are about 2,500 closed and operational landfill sites in England and Wales.
The results of a 10 year research project into the establishment of woodland on landfill show that it is possible to restore these areas safely by planting certain trees as long as strict safeguards are adhered to.
The Government is committed to reducing the UK's reliance on landfill to reduce their environmental impact. The Landfill Directive has promoted more sustainable solutions and brought in important regulations that include abolishing the disposal of liquid, clinical and other hazardous waste.
Establishing trees and woodland on landfill has previously presented real challenges for landfill operators and local authorities, and until recently government guidelines actively discouraged it because of fears that the tree roots might not grow deep enough and if they did they might pierce the 'cap' letting out landfill gases.
In 1993 the Government acknowledged that further evidence and reassurances were needed to determine whether this could be done safely. The Forestry Commission were asked to establish and monitor a number of experimental sites, which were specially engineered to control pollution control with the dense compacted landfill cap with a thick layer of soil for the tree roots.
Today's Forest Research report, funded by CLG, has found that good tree growth on these landfill sites has been achieved and that the establishment of vegetation is a vital part of their restoration. Woodland planting can now be recommended as long as specific site safeguards including that the underlying mineral cap is constructed to standards required by government guidance. Poplar, alder, cherry, whitebeam, oak, ash and Corsican pine have been identified as well suited to the landfill environment.
Planning Minister, Iain Wright said:
"Many people find landfill sites a local eyesore and the government is committed to reducing landfill use.
"This new research shows that with the proper safeguards in place we can reduce the impact of old sites by planting them and environmentally reviving them as attractive woodland or parkland."
"Restoring landfill sites in this way can provide local communities with more attractive green spaces, help tackle climate change, regenerate important brownfield land and provide new places for wildlife to live."
Professor Andy Moffat from Forest Research, the Forestry Commission's scientific and research agency, said:
"Waste management and dealing with waste disposal sites such as landfills once they have reached their capacity, are significant environmental challenges, and restoring them to woodland is an attractive option in many cases.
"There is still further research to do particularly on long-term performance of trees on landfill sites and the specifications of soil caps, but as a result of this research we believe that with careful planning and management many landfill areas can be successfully restored as woodland."
Notes to Editors
1. Forest Research is the research agency of the Forestry Commission that conducts world-class scientific research and technical development relevant to forestry for a range of internal and external clients. The report, "Woodland Establishment on Landfill Sites: Ten Years of Research", is available free for downloading from the Forest Research website, http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk.
2. The latest report provides an overview of the tree species experiments over the 10 years 1993 to 2003. It was commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now the Department of Communities & Local Government - DCLG), with a financial contribution from the Forestry Commission, and is entitled "Woodland Establishment on Landfill Sites: Ten Years of Research".
3. The five landfill sites studied were for this report were located at Bristol (Yanley), Swindon (Shaw Tip), Skelmersdale (Pimbo), Hatfield (Beech Farm) and Ely (Grunty Fen). Results were also reported from the longer-established woodland on a site in Hertfordshire, which was planted in 1986.
4. Previous reports in the series were "Tree Establishment on Landfill Sites: Research and Updated Guidance" (1997) and "Woodland Establishment on Landfill Sites - Site Monitoring" (2000) http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/157980.
5. The Forestry Commission is the government department for forestry in Great Britain. For further information, visit http://www.forestry.gov.uk.
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