Government-funded operation begins to remove 18,000 tonnes of waste from illegal site spread across land owned by Wigan Council and King Charles.
As part of the operation, which is expected to last until spring 2027, specialist removal teams will aim to clear up to 25 lorry loads of waste each day.
The whole operation will see an estimated 18,000 tonnes of commercial and household waste dug up and removed from the site in Wigan.
In 2025, a fire started at the site that forced a nearby school, as well as local businesses, to close.
An Environment Agency investigation is underway to track down those responsible for dumping the waste, with five arrests made in connection to the site.
Commenting on the operation, Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: “No community should have to live with the misery that illegal waste sites like this in Wigan inflict on their everyday lives.”
“This government is taking decisive action to put an end to waste crime, and this major clean-up is an important step in putting things right for local people.”
Leader of Wigan Council, Councillor Nazia Rehman, said the local community has had to put up with this illegal waste site for too long, and the ‘unacceptable impact it has had on their lives’.
“I want to thank everyone who has campaigned tirelessly to get us to this point and this is a really important milestone, with waste removal now underway,” Rehman said.
“We will be working to keep our communities’ voice at the heart of this process as the waste is removed, and this isn’t the end.”
“We want to continue engaging with local residents about how we can ensure a cleaner, safer future for the area once waste is completely removed from the site.”
The clean-up operation is part of the government’s commitment to clear some of the country’s ‘most egregious illegal waste sites’, including Midland Road in Bradford.
Sites were prioritised on scale, risk to nearby communities, environmental damage, and links to persistent non-compliance and organised waste crime.
Last week, a new Waste Crime Crackdown Group met for the first time. Chaired by Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle, it brought regulators and law enforcement together to discuss how to best respond to waste crime.