Or so the saying goes. The truth about rattlechain lagoon, its toxic contents, incompetent regulation and subsequent mis-management by Albright and Wilson/Rhodia/Solvay has been revealed on this website.
The waste tipped into the site was only licenced from 1978, but even after this, Licence SL31. allowed the toxic waste – 500 tonnes per year of waste contaminated with P4 to be dumped. The licence was a failure to control pollution, and the cretins who oversaw the waste tipping operation at West Midlands County Council allowed this company to continue in this regard. That it was poisonous waste, allowed to be dumped in the open air never appeared to cross their tiny minds.
We know as fact that this waste, and not just the waste tipped before licensing MUST have poisoned the wildfowl on the lake. How else if we are supposed to believe the Rhodia tales, were swans and even ducks able to ingest material buried several metres down underneath the “safe” calcium phosphate? We know they did ingest it because it was found inside them, they had swallowed it. We also know they were poisoned systemically– but this is a far cry away from the lies of Rhodia, that they were even trying to spin with dishonest PR journalists after the chemical had been found. Twelve wildfowl tested all found P4 in 5 different species. All were recovered from the lake, all had been poisoned there by its contents.
The last load of waste from Trinity Street was tipped in early 2006. I saw it as a primary witness. I was there. Only 8 years ago- not as some people might want to portray- many decades ago. But those at the company tell many threads of a woven story that don’t appear to fit together.
The truth about the “toothpaste” buried in the lake, appears to be an invention of one Peter Bloore, former works manager and serial Albright and Wilson delusional, but one repeated by his successors- until we proved otherwise. It’s a good story- tell people that what they are living next to is something that they put in their mouths and also give the company a bit of a boost by telling people its what they make. WELL TRY PUTTING P4 CONTAMINATED TOOTHPASTE IN YOUR MOUTHS- ANY TAKERS? I DOUBT IT.
The “good news” story that the current incarnation of this deceitful company would like to portray is one of “cleaning up” the site and undoing some of the damage that they for many years claimed to be not responsible for causing– ie a direct link between bird deaths that we exposed and reported, and the chemical shit that they produced for profit at their Trinity Street factory. It is a fact that they talked of “bird deterrence” in meetings that took place at their polluting HQ, but never the harmful waste which was to blame was discussed. Again I was there at all of these meetings.
It is also a fact that meddling EU legislation has brought about the cover up works at rattlechain last year, through the implementation of the closure plan for the site, nothing more, nothing less. It had nothing to do with Rhodia/Solvay’s altruism for doing the right thing. THEY HAD TO CLOSE THE SITE- THIS WAS THE CHEAPEST OPTION. This EU legislation has also allowed the Environment Agency to mislead the public about what lies at the bottom of their gardens. But it should also be remembered that many also worked in the incompetent Walsall Council hazardous waste unit- that followed the WMCC regulation from 1986-1996. Their story as a different entity was just a cover one for their own backs.
The truth is also about the establishment blocking the bad things and exaggerating the past history of its war mongering in the area, and misguidedly believing that all you have to do is put out some press release and everyone will swallow the propaganda of what you are telling them. This is certainly true about “consultation zones.”
But then there is also the matter of the incompetent fools of councillors that were West Midlands County council- and what exactly they were doing at the time- we’ll save that one for another day- including those who were on that waste disposal committee back in the day- Where are they now? Hopefully most buried 6 feet under with the county waste disposal oaficer, though some it seems are unfortunately still uttering garbage.
Of course if there was anyone else there seeing the things I saw between 1999- 2013, pulling dead birds fitting from the lake after being poisoned, the hundreds of letters, phone calls made and thousands of hours spent on this- I would love to here from you before so summarily dismissing the information on this website with ill informed rhetoric that sounds like a Solvay press release.
But what of the last couple of weeks at this rotten site, where all the waste dumped there- all of it , none removed, still remains buried there as a toxic legacy?
There are now 4, yes four life rings, one for each corner of the site. When tanker drivers were dumping the waste, this didn’t appear to be such a safety issue. I’m not sure if anyone could drown in the few feet of water that now exists, on top of the toxic waste, geotextile membrane and sand, but you never know.
