COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (129) issued by The Government News Network
on 30 May 2008
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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