A facility in Burnley is set to accept waste from across East Lancashire when the county council's contract for the use of the Whinney Hill landfill site comes to an end in April.
From April 1 2026, Envirofuel in Burnley has been awarded a two year contract to take waste that would otherwise need to be taken to Lancashire County Council’s site at Farington, which is much further away. This would have meant longer journeys, higher transport costs for the district councils and more impact on the environment.
The Envirofuel site, which is a long-established waste processing facility, currently accepts more than 100,000 tonnes of waste a year from as far afield as Cambridge, Newcastle, Carlisle and Birmingham, in larger vehicles. These inputs will be replaced by the waste from East Lancashire.
Councillor Joshua Roberts, cabinet member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities at Lancashire County Council said: "We would like to reassure Lancashire's residents that we are ready for the contract with Suez UK Ltd for the use of Whinney Hill landfill site to come to an end as planned.
"The costs of using the Envirofuels site are significantly lower as well as being much better for the environment than landfill.
"From April, Lancashire County Council's waste will stop going to Whinney Hill. All that waste would have needed to been sent miles away to Farington, pushing up costs, traffic and emissions, so we have secured a temporary solution.
"From April 2026, waste will go to the Envirofuel site in Burnley. This site isn't new, it has been operating there for over 25 years. This will replace existing loads, not create new ones. That means no major increase in traffic and, in some cases, fewer large vehicles on the road. This waste will be turned into fuel for cement works, cutting landfill and delivering a better environment outcome.
"Using the Envirofuel site provides continuity of service, avoids disruption or the collection vehicles undertaking long journeys and keeps costs down for taxpayers. The changes will not impact collection services.
"While this solution is underway, we will work with the districts to explore the best longer-term arrangements for waste disposal in East Lancs. We will continue to monitor the site closely to make sure everything operates within the rules."
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