Until recently, completed landfills have been capped and the surfaces restored without much thought as to what could be done that adds some value.
So it is a pleasure to note that the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and Hills Waste Solutions have collaborated to give declining bee populations a helping hand with the creation of a crucial new diverse habitat for wildlife on a closed section of a landfill site in North Swindon. Part of the Chapel Farm landfill site is undergoing works to transform the area into a haven for bees, insects, small mammals, ground nesting birds and reptiles. An area measuring 18.5 hectares will be transformed into wild flower meadows with a small orchard, both of which will provide an important source of food and pollen for a range of invertebrates including queen and worker bumble bees. Some areas of bare ground will remain as these provide suitable nesting sites for solitary bees and wasps.
Given that much our wild flower meadows have been lost, it is good to record a beneficial use from the completion of a landfill site.
Check out the detailed article in the Swindon Advertiser
