Tag: South

July 22nd – On an odd little side street, just off the main Walsall-Lichfield road, in the hinterland scrub between The Butts and Rushall, a remarkable display of feral roses.

Cartridge Lane South was orphaned years ago, and is mostly now just access to a dead-end housing development, and at the southernmost end, borders the allotments that mark the northernmost tip of The Butts. In the hedge there, some remarkable roses that seem to have been flowering for ages.

I wonder how many folk pass these every day without realising they’re there?

January 24th – I was out with the birds, and came home early afternoon. I hopped on the canal near Aldridge, and headed towards Chasewater, where I wanted to see if the lake was still in overflow. On the way, I noticed business was brisk at the Highfields South Landfill, just between Walsall Wood and Shelfield. The site seems to be being filled in three sections, and the one closest is currently being covered in hardcore. Gas is being tapped off from the mound and feeding a generator set connected to the mains, so at least the gas isn’t wasted.

Every time I pass this hole, it’s a bit fuller. Five days a week, trucks disgorge their waste here – things we daily throw away and never wish to see again. The trouble is, we’ll run out of holes in the ground soon. Our rubbish really is becoming an issue – and who wants a landfill nearby?

June 27th – A few people have remarked to me lately about the landfill site at Highfields South, behind Baron’s Court in Walsall Wood. The operators – Cory Environmental – are actually working to a defined plan here. At the moment, only half the void is full of waste, piled to some height, as you can see. this mound will be monitored, tapped for gas for use in a generator set, and with the weight on top, gradually settle to an agreed level. While this is taking place, waste is dumped in the to he half of the void, and the same process occurs. When the hole is full, the whole lot will be sealed with a layer of marl and topsoil, and parkland planted. The same kind of plan is in operation at the Vigo Landfill, on the other side of the canal. That one is now full, constantly generating electricity from landfill gas, and settling. In a couple of years that too, will be landscaped in public open space.

This is big business. There’s nothing so valuable as  a hole in the ground.