Bishop’s Cleeve is unique because it has been by far the largest single repository for the most hazardous and contaminated ashes from incinerator in the UK over the past decade. A 2002 Environment Agency survey, for example, showed that between 1996 and 2000 there were 157,099 tonnes of these hazardous wastes dumped at the Wingmoor landfill site – just over half of the national total. The remainder was distributed between 17 other sites. [Environment Agency (2002). Solid Residues from Municipal Waste Incinerators in England and Wales A report on an investigation]

The dioxin contamination of this ash, assuming an average of 2500 ng I-TEQ/kg [Ref Macleod below] would be about 400 g TEQ. This can be compared with the UK declared total annual releases of dioxin for the Stockholm Convention of 348 g I-TEQ/year (based on 2004). [DEFRA (2007). National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland April 2007]

Modelling by the Environment Agency and others indicate that some of those dioxins are escaping from the site. Macleod and co-workers estimate that the “average daily human exposure to the critical receptor [a female child aged 0 – 6] was estimated to be 0.8pg TEQ/kg bw/day, is twice the health criteria value derived for dioxins”. This was known before 2002 but no action was taken. Publication of the research was delayed until 2006 – but still no action has been taken. [Macleod, C., R. Duarte-Davidson, et al. (2006). "Modeling human exposures to air pollution control (APC) residues released from landfills in England and Wales." Environment International 32: 500–509.]