Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois was given a sneak preview of a new nature reserve for use by local people and wildlife during a recent visit to the Veolia Waste Management site at Pitsea. Mark was visiting Veolia’s waste site, which takes unrecyclable domestic waste from across South Essex and parts of east London, and disposes of it safely for the benefit of the local environment.
Part of the land which is adjacent to the site, is being donated by the company to provide a new nature reserve, which will be managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). The site is intended to be opened up to the public by the end of the year, once remedial work has been carried out, including the removal of a number of old unexploded German bombs dating back to the Second World War. In the longer term, the whole landfill site itself is intended to be turfed over and, once numerous safety tests have been met, this will then also be given over to provide an even larger nature reserve, which will hopefully be enjoyed by Essex residents and local wildlife for generations to come.
Commenting on his visit to the site Mark said:
“I am very pro recycling but I had a really interesting visit learning about what happens to the domestic waste which we have not learned how to recycle yet. I had not appreciated just how much work goes into running a facility like this before going to see things for myself. However, I was also pleased to see the nearby site which Veolia are kindly donating to provide a new nature reserve and which the RSPB are keen to manage for the benefit of wildlife and the local community, including my constituents as well.”