Recycling Lives in Workington Gets the Nod to Hold Far More Hazardous Waste Workington Battery Recycling Site Allowed to Store Up to 5,000 Tonnes of Hazardous Waste
Marra Mode is how we'd tell you this in the Co-op. Switch it off for the straight version.
Recycling Lives on Isabella Road can now hold up to 5,000 tonnes of hazardous waste so it can sort old batteries. But the total it's allowed to take in each year is being cut by nearly two thirds.
If you live or work round Isabella Road in Workington, you'll remember the battery fire at Recycling Lives in March 2024. Well, the site's just been given permission to change what it does, and it's worth knowing about.
The Environment Agency has signed off a new permit, issued on 29 September and made public on 2 October. It means the site can take in hazardous waste batteries and sort them, by hand and by machine. It can now hold up to 5,000 tonnes of hazardous waste at any one time. The News & Star says the old limit was under 50 tonnes, though 5,000 is the most it's allowed, not what's sitting there now.
There's a flip side. The total amount of waste it can take in each year drops from 70,000 tonnes to 25,000. And it's packing in the old cars and scrap metal side. The firm wanted to shred batteries too, but dropped that from the plans in July.
The Environment Agency says it went through the risk assessment and the fire plan, and was happy. Its words: "We have assessed the fire prevention plan and are satisfied that it meets the measures and objectives set out in the Fire Prevention Plan guidance." The fire service and the Health and Safety Executive were asked for their views, and no responses came in.
If anything about the site ever worries you, ring the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident line on 0800 80 70 60 and quote EPR/FB3807SX/V003.
The Environment Agency has approved a permit change for Recycling Lives on Isabella Road, Workington, raising its hazardous waste storage limit to 5,000 tonnes so it can sort waste batteries, while cutting the total waste it can take each year.
This is for people living and working near Isabella Road in Workington, where the Recycling Lives site had a fire involving lithium batteries in March 2024. The Environment Agency has approved changes to the site's environmental permit.
The variation, issued on 29 September and published on 2 October, lets the operator, Recycling Lives Compliance Services Limited, receive and sort hazardous waste batteries by hand and by machine. It raises the amount of hazardous waste the site may hold at any one time to 5,000 tonnes. The News & Star reports that the previous limit was under 50 tonnes, and that the new figure is a maximum rather than the amount on site now. At the same time, the total waste the site can accept each year falls from 70,000 tonnes to 25,000 tonnes, and end-of-life vehicle and metal recycling is being removed. Battery shredding was part of the original application in 2025 but was taken out in July this year.
The Environment Agency says it checked the operator's risk assessment and its fire plan. Its decision document states: "We have assessed the fire prevention plan and are satisfied that it meets the measures and objectives set out in the Fire Prevention Plan guidance." It also concluded that protected habitats would not be affected. The fire service, the Health and Safety Executive and council departments were consulted, and no consultation responses were received.
During the 2024 fire, eight crews attended and nearby residents were advised to keep doors and windows shut. If you have concerns about how the site operates, you can contact the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60, quoting permit number EPR/FB3807SX/V003.