The site is an active quarry and landfill, with sand and gravel being extracted across the whole site and landfill providing the means of restoration.
Westmill Landfill Site is located to the north-west of Ware, Hertfordshire, off the A602 Ware to Stevenage Road. The site is defined by the A602 to the west and the A10 to the south. In the southern corner of the site is the Ermine Business Park, and to the north, also off the A602, is the Hertfordshire County Council household waste recycling centre. The site occupies an area of 38 hectares.
For landfill purposes the site is divided into 2 areas, the restored Westmill I site to the west, and the operational Westmill II site to the east. Infilling with waste at Westmill I commenced in 1982, and was originally permitted under a waste disposal licence issued at the time by the County Council.
Operations in this part of the site were completed in July 2004 and transferred into Westmill II, with operations commencing in the south nearest to the A10, and progressing northwards and following the sand and gravel extraction progressing northwards. Infilling in this area of the site is under an Environmental Permit issued by the Environment Agency.
The landfill site is permitted to accept up to 350,000 tonnes per annum of non hazardous waste. This comprises predominately waste from households and businesses, together with some construction industry waste including soils. Around 100 lorries depositing waste visit the site each day.
