The new year isn’t halfway over just yet and one landfill in Staffordshire, England has generated more than 1,000 complaints from nearby residents.

Locals in the area are claiming the hydrogen sulfide levels produced by the landfill are affecting their health. By the end of 2022, the landfill had generated more than 70,000 complaints.

The company who operates the landfill, Walleys Quarry Ltd, claims that, since the beginning of 2022, emissions have been significantly reduced.

The landfill in question takes in about 400,000 tons of waste every year. When the waste breaks down, it produces hydrogen sulfide which can be toxic at high concentrations.

In March of 2021, the Environment Agency in England installed air quality monitors around the Staffordshire landfill. Throughout the next year, results showed that the hydrogen sulfide levels had constantly exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) odor annoyance guidelines.

Locals have been reporting health issues that, they claim, stem from the heavy amounts of hydrogen sulfide produced by the landfill. Dr. Paul Scott from the Silverdale Village Surgery commented, “Some were coming in with a real trouble with the physical symptoms, with the effects on their eyes, the nose. Kind of hay fever type symptoms. Some patients with asthma or breathing issues were coming in, needing their medication, slightly upped."

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