Biffa and Wienerberger

Preventing dust on Station Road

Companies Biffa and Wienerberger, with site access at the bottom of Station Road in Hartlebury, have been collaborating to reduce the transfer of clay dust from working areas onto Station Road.

Wienerberger’s Hartlebury site is a brick factory, with an adjacent clay quarry. Next to Wienerberger, Biffa is filling and gradually covering a landfill cell for inert waste. Both sites are accessed by HGVs which occasionally transfer clay mud and dust onto the bottom of Station Road. Both companies have been working with members of our Community Liaison Committee to address resident’s concerns about this.

Biffa and Wienerberger control mud and dust on Station Road with three preventative actions:

• Biffa operates a wheel wash which all HGV drivers accessing Biffa and Wienerberger’s quarry must use before leaving the site. The wheel wash removes clay from the wheels and prevents transfer of mud and dust from the site onto Station Road. However, not all HGV drivers adhere to the instruction to use the wheel wash before leaving, so Biffa reinforces this site rule through site induction training, installed signage and contact with drivers’ management.

• Over the past two months, Wienerberger has been undertaking its annual clay quarrying to build a stockpile for brickmaking. As the clay dries out, vehicle movements can produce dust. A water bowser is used to dampen the working area to suppress dust particles and reduce transfer to Station Road.

• Wienerberger and Biffa share responsibilities for road sweeping from the site gate to the top of Station Road and back, at least once per day on weekdays. The sweeper collects any clay mud and dust which may have been dropped near the gates of each site or accidently transferred onto Station Road. In addition, Wienerberger has recently been upgrading the site haulage roads which will reduce the potential for clay to be transferred onto Station Road.

If neighbours have concerns about clay on the road, or dust affecting air quality, please contact the site management at Biffa or Wienerberger in the first instance. Please call Andy Coulthard, Plant Manager at Wienerberger on 01299 250250 or Russ Parrett, Site Manager at Biffa on 01299 660100, both of whom will be happy to discuss any questions neighbours may have.