L-R Chair of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) Councillor Neil Swannick, and Landcare’s Group Managing Director, Simon Towers.

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA), responsible for waste services in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford, has completed the sale of 18 former landfill sites to brownfield site developers Landcare (Manchester) Limited.

The sale of the sites, covering an area of 526 acres, was completed on 17 December following a ‘rigorous selection process’ undertaken by GMWDA and its advisors Jones Lang LaSalle. The price paid for the land has not been disclosed.

The landfill sites stopped accepting waste in the 1990s and the council has been keen to sell off the plots as part of its waste and recycling portfolio review, which resulted in a 25-year waste and recycling contract with Viridor in 2009.

GMWDA Chair, Councillor Neil Swannick, said: “The sites were a legacy from the past when the majority of waste was disposed directly to landfill. The authority was very clear that a sale with on-going commitment to proactive site management was the priority.

“As such we are delighted that Landcare, a specialist professional company with the right expertise and the opportunity to bring the sites into more beneficial use, be that through focused community engagement or in some cases through redevelopment, has been selected”.

Landcare, part of Glasgow-based land development firm, NPL Group, was selected from three bidders to take over the 18 landfill sites and has said that it will now spend at least a year monitoring and managing the sites before making any decisions regarding redevelopment.

Landcare’s Group Managing Director, Simon Towers, added: “We are delighted that the authority has placed its trust in Landcare to take over responsibility of the sites which have been managed well for the last 20 years or so.

“A number of the sites are at present enjoyed by local communities and our aim is to enhance partnership arrangements and be a visible, responsive and responsible company. We will over time look at ways in which sites can be enhanced through funding and in some cases through redevelopment, but our core focus is retaining the levels of care and maintenance and ensuring that the sites continue to no longer pose a risk to the environment.”

Among the sites included in the deal are Drinkwater Park in Prestwich, Pink Bank Lane in Gorton, and Chester Road in Stretford.

Landcare has also announced that it is planning to launch an interactive website for interested parties to post ideas for enhancement and learn more about planned activities and maintenance.

Community Waste Fund

In other news, the GMWDA has also announced that the second round of its Community Waste Fund (CWF) is now open for applications.

The fund provides community groups, charity and not for profit-organised projects in Greater Manchester with up to £10,000 to develop or support projects focused on waste reduction and recycling.

To date, the CWF has awarded around £165,000 of funding to 22 community waste groups, including swap shop events run by residents and a scheme run jointly by community furniture projects and social housing landlords to provide affordable furniture to people on low incomes.

Councillor Swannick commented: “The Community Waste Fund is now very well established and is a great support for community groups who want to put an innovative idea to reduce waste or recycle into practice. It is only with the help of residents that we can reach our ambition of zero waste to landfill, where everything we throw out becomes a resource.”

It is hoped the scheme will help the area to achieve a 50 per cent recycling and composting rate by 2015 and ultimately help it to reach zero waste to landfill.

Applications for the CWF will be accepted until 15 February.

Read more about Recycle for Greater Manchester’s Community Waste Fund.