Walsall Council unveils new 'odour control system' for £32M Aldridge waste recycling centre

Construction on the new Household Waste and Recycling Centre and Waste Transport Station was started in August 2024, with the new so locally called 'super-tip' hoping to ease the rubbish and fly-tipping issues in the West Midlands.

The construction was an answer to growing demands of both the Fryers Road and Merchants Way sites, with the council saying earlier in the week that the new facility would 'future proof' waste disposal in the region for many years ahead.

When finished in the summer, the site will be able to take in around 40,000 tonnes of waste per year, including both council and personal waste, as well as refurbish some items with its 'first-of-its-kind' reselling shop.

However, the development of the site also sparked controversy with residents who live near the compound, with some saying that a facility of this size would 'create more smell than we can handle'.

Talking about the possible smell, Lisa Tanner, a resident who lives near the facility, said: "I have friends who live near the Fryers Road tip and the smell is quite bad.

"It's the right thing to build as Merchants Way and Fryers Road are always so full. But they can smell quite bad. This site is much bigger, so it would be worse than those two."

To help answer residents' concerns, Walsall Council has announced that six extractor fans and a ventilation system have been incorporated into the facility to help mitigate the possible smells.

Councillor Kerry Murphy, portfolio holder for Street Pride, said: "The project is progressing really well and is starting to take shape. You can now see how it will look, and how impressive it will be once it opens.

“A concern raised by residents was around the smell produced by the site. That is why we have made the investment to mitigate this, ensuring the project works for everyone.

"With growing populations, this is an investment we needed to make. The Facility will serve our communities for years to come."

The mitigation system, which forms part of the £32m project, will remove the odour from the pays, where it will pass through a bank of six containers which are full of an 'active carbon bed' meaning that no smell will enter the surrounding area.

As well as an odour control system, the compound also includes wall-mounted odour and dust control units, which will also help with developing smells.