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.

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30 May 2008
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