During the summer, people living around the Willow Park Estate often can’t open windows or use the park because of an all pervading stench from Bio Collectors food waste processing plant.
12 years of living in a bin
It creeps along the Wandle, making ramblers on the Wandle Trail turn back, and Watermeads Nature Reserve unvisitable. One local resident told us:
The smell is like living in a dustbin. When the wind is coming off the site you cannot leave your windows or doors open or enjoy the fabulous park.
Local residents have been battling Bio Collectors (also known as Riverside Biowaste) for 12 years.
Unfortunately, although the environment agency have fined them and monitored them over the years, up until now they haven’t been able to stop them producing the smell. This is despite the terms of Bio Collectors’ license stating the plant shouldn’t produce smells that cross their boundary.
Time for change
It’s not reasonable for residents to endure another summer of stench. We’ve been working with our MP Elliot Colburn and local residents to get Bio Collectors to do the right thing and stop the stink.
Worryingly, the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP) who look after South London’s waste contracts have contracts with Bio Collectors not due for renewal until 2026.
We’ve made them aware of residents’ concerns through Merton councillor Natasha Irons who chairs the committee responsible for all of the key decisions made on behalf of the Partnership. We hope they’ll bring pressure on Riverside Bio as currently it’s our own tax money going towards perpetuating the smell.
What’s happened so far
The smell makers, Bio Collectors, recently had a national permit review by the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency found a number of improvements each site must make in order to get their permits renewed. The most relevant ones are around: leak detection and repair, stopping leaks, reducing wide spread emissions into the air and energy efficiency.
Measuring the smell
We’ve all been reporting the smell whenever it occurs and emailing our councillors and MPs and it helps.
In May 2023, Environment Agency officers conducted over 30 odour assessments at a number of points outside the Bio Collector premises. Every time, officers detected odour ranging in intensity from strong (5) to very faint (1) with most being 2 to 3 (faint to distinct).
They followed up on Saturday 17 June and detected very faint and faint odour off site around the industrial estate. We know Bio Collectors have been operating a reduced load recently and have replaced the covering membrane lid which may be why. Officers will keep inspecting the site to make sure it doesn’t ramp up again when it’s operating at normal capacity.
Keep reporting the smell
There was a reduction in odour reports from local residents in June. But has it really gone or have we just got tired of reporting it because nothing was happening?
It’s super important we keep reporting the smell.
It only takes 5 mins max, the Environmental Agency hotline people are really nice. And it’s open 24 hours.
Steps to report the smell
Call 0800 80 70 60 and say:
- you want to report a bad smell
- your postcode and house or flat number
- how far away you live from Bio Collectors who produce the smell
- and be prepared to answer some questions about how it’s affecting you + give it a rating between 1 and 6
It helps if you also report on the Sutton Council website and the Merton Council website.
Bio Collectors also have a resident liaison you can ask to investigate and deal with the smell: call James on 07950 738966
Sign up to hear more about our campaign
We’re stronger when we speak up together. Will you help us put pressure on Bio Collectors, the SLWP and the Environmental Agency to make them stop the stink?
Join our mailing list to hear our next steps if the smell doesn’t stay away.
Friends of Poulter Park and Revesby Wood 