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Request on: Nine Mile point waste treatment facility

Case reference: CAS-315958-D5N2
Received: 5 August 2026
Published: 18 August 2026

Request

I am a local resident investigating the environmental impacts and regulatory history of the Nine Mile Point Waste Treatment Facility, Cwmfelinfach, currently operated by Drumcastle Ltd under environmental permit AB3695CH.

I am making this request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and, where applicable, the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I have found references on the NRW public register to a number of regulatory and compliance documents relating to this facility, including the 13 April 2026 compliance report, CAR_NRW0051487.

I would like to request the following information.

1. Compliance inspections and audits

Please provide copies of all available records relating to NRW's regulatory oversight of permit AB3695CH / Nine Mile Point Waste Treatment Facility from 1 January 2017 to the present date, including:

Compliance Assessment Reports (CARs)
Routine and non-routine site inspection reports
Detailed environmental audits
Desk-based compliance assessments
Incident investigations
Enforcement notices
Warning letters
Non-compliance records
Improvement/action plans
Follow-up inspections
Correspondence relating to identified non-compliances.

Please specifically provide:

CAR_NRW0051487 - Compliance Report dated 13 April 2026.

Where the public register identifies a document but it is not currently available for download, please provide a copy.

2. Environmental incidents and complaints

Please provide records of environmental incidents, complaints or investigations relating to the facility, including where applicable:

Odour
Dust or fugitive emissions
Noise
Smoke
Fires or fire-related incidents
Water pollution
Contaminated runoff
Spills or leaks
Uncontrolled discharges
Waste escaping the site
Excessive or inappropriate waste storage
Waste acceptance issues
Other breaches or suspected breaches of the environmental permit.

Please include the date, nature of the incident/complaint, NRW's response, investigation findings and any enforcement or remedial action.

I am not requesting personal information identifying individual complainants, and such information can be redacted where necessary.

3. Water quality, drainage and pollution

Please provide all information held by NRW concerning the water environment, drainage and potential water pollution associated with the facility, covering 1 January 2015 to the present date.

I am particularly interested in establishing the environmental baseline before the facility became operational and identifying any subsequent changes.

Please provide, where held:

Pre-commissioning baseline water-quality data;
Surface-water monitoring results;
Groundwater monitoring results;
Drainage inspections and assessments;
Sampling results from site drainage or discharge monitoring points, including SW1;
Oil and grease monitoring results;
Suspended solids/turbidity results;
pH results;
Hydrocarbons;
Metals;
Other pollutants or parameters monitored;
Records of spills, leaks or uncontrolled discharges;
Records of contaminated surface-water runoff;
Records of drainage failures;
Records of flooding associated with the site;
Complaints concerning pollution or deterioration of the Sirhowy River, nearby watercourses, drainage systems or groundwater;
NRW investigations into such complaints or incidents;
Enforcement notices, warning letters or improvement requirements relating to water pollution or drainage;
Correspondence between NRW and the operator concerning water pollution, drainage or protection of the water environment;
Correspondence between NRW and Caerphilly County Borough Council concerning these matters;
Assessments of the potential impact of the facility on the Sirhowy River or other nearby watercourses;
Site drainage plans;
Pollution prevention plans;
Surface-water management plans or equivalent documents.

Where possible, please provide the underlying monitoring/sample results rather than only summary conclusions.

Please distinguish, where possible, between information collected before the facility became operational, during commissioning and during subsequent operation.

4. Waste characteristics and moisture content

Please provide information relating to the physical characteristics and moisture content of waste received and processed at the facility.

This should include:

Waste acceptance criteria;
Permitted or expected moisture-content ranges;
Moisture-content testing or sampling procedures;
Moisture-content test results;
Records of rejected or non-conforming loads where moisture or physical characteristics were a factor;
Assessments concerning the moisture characteristics of incoming waste;
Technical information concerning the former waste dryer;
Assessments undertaken to establish that the facility could operate without the dryer;
Correspondence concerning the removal of the dryer.

5. Removal of the waste dryer / Permit Variation V004

Please provide the information held by NRW concerning the 2021/2022 permit variation (PAN-016095 / Variation V004), particularly the removal of the waste dryer.

I would specifically like:

The permit variation application;
Supporting technical documents;
NRW assessment of the proposed removal;
Correspondence between NRW and the operator concerning removal of the dryer;
The final variation decision;
The document listed on the NRW public register as "Notice of variation V004" dated 13 October 2022;
Any assessment of how removal of the dryer would affect waste processing, moisture content, emissions, odour, drainage or other environmental impacts;
Any assessment of whether the modified process would remain suitable for the permitted waste streams without drying.

6. Waste throughput and mass balance

Please provide available annual waste returns and NRW records concerning the facility's throughput from 2017 to the present, including:

Annual tonnage received;
Annual tonnage processed;
Types of waste received;
Quantities of SRF/RDF produced;
Quantities of recyclable material recovered;
Quantities of rejects/residuals produced;
Other output streams;
Any records of permitted throughput being approached or exceeded;
Any compliance assessments concerning throughput.

Where available, please provide the underlying waste-return data rather than only annual summaries.

7. Environmental permit conditions and compliance

Please provide any records showing whether the facility has been found to be compliant or non-compliant with conditions relating to:

Waste acceptance;
Waste storage;
Waste throughput;
Emissions;
Odour;
Dust;
Fire prevention;
Drainage;
Water pollution;
Surface-water protection;
Groundwater protection;
Waste handling;
Pollution prevention.

Please include any outstanding actions or recommendations resulting from inspections.

8. Pre-commissioning information

Because I am trying to understand the change in environmental conditions associated with the facility, please provide any relevant environmental baseline information held by NRW from before the facility was commissioned, including:

Water-quality data;
Air-quality data;
Environmental surveys;
Drainage assessments;
Ecological surveys;
Pollution assessments;
Soil/groundwater information;
Assessments of the Sirhowy River or surrounding water environment.

If NRW does not hold pre-commissioning baseline data for a particular environmental medium, please confirm this.

9. Public register documents

The NRW public register identifies a number of documents relating to this permit which are not currently available for download.

Please provide copies of any such documents relating to AB3695CH / Nine Mile Point Waste Treatment Facility, particularly:

Compliance inspection reports;
Compliance Assessment Reports;
Permit variation documents;
Fire Prevention Plans;
Site Condition Reports;
Operating Techniques;
Odour Management Plans;
Waste acceptance information;
Drainage information;
Monitoring reports;
Incident reports;
Enforcement or compliance correspondence.

If a document is already publicly available, please provide the relevant public-register reference or link rather than requiring a further request.

10. Proposed increase in throughput

Finally, please provide any information held by NRW concerning the proposed increase in processing capacity from 100,000 tonnes per annum to 150,000 tonnes per annum, including any correspondence or consultation between NRW, Caerphilly County Borough Council, the operator or its representatives concerning:

Environmental impacts;
Waste characteristics;
Waste throughput;
Water pollution;
Drainage;
Odour;
Dust;
Emissions;
Fire risk;
Environmental permit implications;
Whether the proposed increase would require a variation to environmental permit AB3695CH.

If NRW has determined that the proposed increase does not require an environmental permit variation, please provide the basis for that determination.

Scope of request

I appreciate that this is a comprehensive request. If any part is considered too broad or would exceed the appropriate cost/time limit, please contact me before refusing the request so that I can narrow the scope.

In particular, if necessary, I would prioritise:

CAR_NRW0051487 dated 13 April 2026;
Previous compliance inspection/audit reports;
Water-quality and pollution records;
Records relating to the 2021/2022 removal of the waste dryer;
Environmental incidents and complaints.

Response

Thank you for your request.

Much of the information you’re seeking is available to you publicly via our public register, DataMapWales and the permitting pages on our website.

Public register - Customer Portal

Waste Permit Returns Data Interrogator | DataMapWales

Natural Resources Wales / Waste permitting

I have checked the CAR report you mention, and I have successfully downloaded it. Please try again if you can.

We have previously shared incident reports related to the site; I have attached it for you.

The request as a whole is extensive, I appreciate your explanation towards the end of your request clarifying what you’re most interested in.

CAR_NRW0051487 dated 13 April 2026;
Previous compliance inspection/audit reports;
Water-quality and pollution records;
Records relating to the 2021/2022 removal of the waste dryer;
Environmental incidents and complaints.

I believe that Q 1 & 2 can be answered by the CAR reports that are available on the public register. For Q 3 & 5, the Wales Incident Reporting System spreadsheet answers these requests. For Q 4, the variation documents can be found on the public register, I can contact the permitting team for further information if the documents available aren’t sufficient.