Plans unveiled for recycling plant at quarry site between Chesterfield and Bolsover

Valencia Waste Management Ltd wants to build the recycling plant at the Erin Landfill site in Duckmanton, between Chesterfield and Bolsover, alongside the M1.

The firm says its planned recycling facility would process construction, demolition and excavation waste from building projects, separating out materials that can be reused before the rest is sent off to landfill.

The firm says residents will not be affected by the plans, though much disruption has been reported in relation to the landfill site itself over the years, as detailed in 2021.

At that time, more than 250 residents had opposed plans to give the landfill owners Viridor 14 extra years to fill in the site and regenerate it as a nature reserve. The county council subsequently approved the plans in a bid to avoid the owners creating a new landfill somewhere else instead. After that decision, in April 2022, Viridor handed over its landfills – including staff – to Valencia.

A statement submitted by the firm with its application to Derbyshire County Council reads: “The premise of the facilities is to intercept the commercial and industrial waste that is heading for landfill and extracting recyclable materials which would then be removed from site for recycling/re-use/recovery by third parties elsewhere

“The development represents a project which is ancillary to the existing landfilling activities that currently take place on the site.

“It should be noted that the proposed development will seek to increase inputs to the site in order that current landfill inputs are maintained. Valencia Waste Management is committed to fulfilling the landfill restoration contours with the current prescribed/approved time limits.”

They say the plan would create between six and 12 jobs. In April 2021, a vast void of 100 acres still needed filling before the site could be restored, with the previous owners citing an increase in recycling as harming its attempts to fill and cap the site.

The owners had regularly deployed a falcon to discourage pests such as seagulls and regularly used bait traps for “vermin” and insecticide sprays.

A decision will be made by the county council in the next few months.