The Environment Agency has confirmed 'hazardous' waste was disposed of at Walleys Quarry days before the site was ordered to close.

The waste, including asbestos, will now be removed and sent to an authorised facility.

The investigation uncovered a 'discrete pile of waste' in the northwestern corner of the site, which appeared to have been accepted under the landfill site's soil treatment permit.

Contractors working on the site have been ordered to maintain a clay covering on the waste to prevent odorous emissions.

The Walleys Quarry site in Silverdale was issued a closure notice on 28 November 2024, following years of campaigning by the community. The landfill owners entered liquidation on 28 February 2025.

Contractors working on behalf of the Environment Agency have been working on capping the site since the closure notice was issued. Odour-related complaints have considerably fallen since the closure of the site.

In 2026 so far, Newcastle Borough Council received just one complaint from residents over the controversial landfill site, compared to 1,620 in January last year. 

In a recent update, the Environment Agency said: "The results of analysis of the samples indicated that the waste is contaminated with elevated levels of metals, sulphide and sulphates, polyaromatic hydrocarbons – typically residues from hydrocarbons, and a single occurrence of asbestos.

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"This means that all the waste must be treated as hazardous waste and will need to be removed and sent to an appropriately authorised facility."

They added that the results are specific to the isolated waste pile and the agency will be reviewing offsite pre-treatment and subsequent disposal options in the coming months.

The update continued: "Our contractors will continue to take steps to minimise the impact of the waste outside the site boundary.

"We will also provide an update to the community when we can say more about the progress that we have been able to make."