Following hot on the heels of the previous post concerning The former West Midlands County Council Waste Disposal and Pollution Control Committee, comes another revelation from the same meeting 22nd December 1977 at which the Rattlechain site licence was discussed amongst others.
Let’s remind ourselves of the councillors serving on that committee at the time.
This item 8 on the agenda concerns the former West Midlands County Council tip off Sheepwash Lane Tipton. It is a report by the then West Midlands County waste disposal officer K. Harvey. Let’s just read on for now and discuss after……
The proposal is to treat the lagoon which it is stated is polluted and producing methane gas. It is identified as
“a liability to the council.”
The solution offered by the waste disposal officer is to import “calcium phosphate” onto the site. What is of concern and is paramount to this are the subsequent statements concerning an unnamed source which has been identified being able to be supply it for nothing.
“Large quantities of this chemical are produced as a waste material at a factory nearby and arrangements have been made for this material to be diverted to the site at the request of the county at no cost.”
Though the supplier of the “calcium phosphate” is not named directly, It is quite obvious which company is being cited. Albright and Wilson up to 1974 were still delivering effluent waste sludge to rattlechain lagoon by canal barge. BUT THIS WAS CERTAINLY NOT JUST UNCONTAMINATED CALCIUM PHOSPHATE!!
Indeed calcium phosphate is unlikely to have ever been offloaded as a waste product as in itself it can be used and sold- that is if it is not contaminated with the other toxic crap that Albright and Wilson were making and disposing of- including white phosphorus contaminated material as effluent sludge.
Later Rhodia were to make claims about their waste material and calcium phosphate which we now know to be utter lies from the then site manager. I wonder who typed it out for him though?
Remember also that this agenda item 8 in 1977 was discussed BEFORE the rattlechain site licence had been agreed on- and it had not as yet been formerly approved.
The situation appears to be thus. West Midlands County council had a liability upon them to spend a great sum of money on getting rid of potentially toxic and acidic waste lagoon, at their own tip- the origins of what they allowed to be dumped here being highly questionable. We know residents who have stated that illegal dumping took place here regularly with few questions asked by the site operators.
Albright and Wilson had a liability to dispose of hazardous waste with a slightly alkaline taint, calcium phosphate (albeit contaminated with phosphorus) but were threatened by the prospect of having their main waste tip curtailed by new legislation and a plan developed by the County council to which “alternative disposal methods are likely to involve the company in considerable extra cost.”
Put the case therefore that in order to neutralise costs to both parties, Albright and Wilson’s waste was dumped in return for the withdrawl of condition 30. Is this what happened? Though some may try to deny it, the incompetence and corruption involved in this possible trade off are clear to see. Dispose of a massive body of contaminated waste BEFORE LICENSING free of charge and at no charge to us and we will extend your tip’s life. A favour for a favour and a boon to both.
“It is hoped that a waste material will be put to a useful purpose in dealing with a serious pollution problem.”
In the hundreds of documents viewed in the course of compiling this website, this comment by Keith Harvey is the single most foolish, incompetent and dramatically ironic statement of all. By 1980 he had apparently died, thus leaving behind an oversight of allowing toxic waste into an area which the public can now access with unknown potential dangers and a toxic waste lagoon that should have had it’s licence ended in the mid 1980’s. THIS MAN WAS INCOMPETENT IN OFFICE AS A WASTE DISPOSAL OFFICER.
There are no further records available to confirm that this mad cap scheme ever materialised or was approved by the then committee in subsequent meetings. The report is merely “noted”.
Of course the site in question was developed into what became Sheepwash Urban park, and now Sheepwash Local Nature Reserve. But what was actually buried here during and after 1977, and what potentially now lurks beneath the pumphouse pool at this former tip site?
The West Midlands county council tip lagoon referred to in the report
SANDWELL COUNCIL IT’S OVER TO YOU……..
WASTE DIVERSION, ONE GOOD TIP DESERVES ANOTHER.