Residents in two Leeds suburbs were felt “angry and emotional” after strong winds blew rubbish from a waste management site all over the village.
Due to the high wind last week, rubbish was swept from Peckfield Landfill Site across Garforth and Micklefield.
Residents including James Cook were left angry by the amount of plastic waste which had landed in peoples back gardens, roads and even the woods.
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James, who lives near the waste site, was left “cross” due to the amount of rubbish strewn across the village and even tried to pick some of the waste up filling two bags but said “it didn’t look like I was making a difference.”
“It made me cross, it was disgusting,” James, who has lived in the area for 16 years, said. “I was trying to pick some up, I filled up two bags from beyond my house and when I stepped back you couldn’t tell I had done anything. There was that much of it, two bags full in the small area, it didn’t look like I was making a difference.”
With more wind predicted across the weekend James is now concerned more waste could be blown across the area again.
Caird Peckfield Ltd who manage the site sent litter pickers throughout the week to pick rubbish up including in people’s gardens and areas which are visible.
On Monday, James spotted about six litter pickers but he claims he has seen less of them towards the end of the week.
When James went for a walk around on Wednesday lunchtime he noticed there was still a huge level of waste still in the woods and trees which could take some time to clear.
We have contacted Caird Peckfield Ltd for a comment but they stated they will be communicating through the Environmental Agency.
In a notice on Facebook, they told residents litter pickers would seen seen “until all the mess is cleared.”
The post reads: “No tipping operations will be carried out this morning due to the high speed winds of storm Malik which have hammered our site and the rest of the UK over the weekend.
“Thank you all who has been in touch who have pointed out the areas to send the litter pickers. We have a small team heading out this morning and more will be joining us as the week goes on. They will be seen in the surrounding areas until all the mess is cleared up.
“If anyone wishes to have their gardens cleared please don't hesitate to ask.”
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A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “We have investigated reports of widespread litter pollution from the Peckfield landfill site near Garforth, following high wind conditions experienced over the weekend. Pollution of this nature is a serious matter and can be extremely distressing for those affected.
“The Environment Agency requires landfill operators to meet the binding conditions set out in their environmental permits. This includes the requirement to take all appropriate precautions to prevent pollution from litter.
“We have been in discussion with the site operator to ensure measures are put in place to collect the litter as soon as possible. Our investigation will also assess whether any further enforcement action is necessary.”
