Environment Agency

Customer: Environment Agency
Project: Illegal Waste Temperature Monitoring
Location: Kidlington, Oxfordshire, UK
Products: Quanturi Bio-Waste Temperature Monitoring System

Project update: The Environment Agency has published updates showing that thermal probes have been installed to monitor temperatures within the waste piles at the Kidlington illegal waste site. BBC footage of the wider clean-up operation also shows the monitoring equipment deployed on site.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been working with partner agencies, including Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and local emergency services, to mitigate risks posed to the local environment and community by large-scale illegal dumping of waste near Kidlington.

The site has been designated a crime scene, with the EA carrying out a comprehensive monitoring programme to assess materials that may present a risk of contamination to surrounding land and waterways, including the River Cherwell.

One of the measurement requirements was to determine the internal temperature of the waste heaps. Organic waste, coal waste, wood chips and similar materials can heat up internally due to microbial activity or chemical oxidation.

Rising temperatures can indicate self-heating. Early detection helps reduce the risk and impact of fire within waste piles, which can be difficult to extinguish and may release harmful smoke.

Able Instruments has a long history of supplying high-end analytical instruments to the EA, including the Jerome Gold Film Hydrogen Sulphide Analyser. For this project, Able were approached to procure appropriate temperature monitoring equipment for the site and were contracted to supply the Quanturi Bio-Waste Temperature Monitoring System.

The Quanturi system uses wireless Tango XN temperature probes designed for demanding compost and bio-waste monitoring applications. The probes measure internal temperature within the material, while the base station collects measurement data and sends it to Quanturi’s secure cloud platform for remote monitoring.

For sites such as Kidlington, below-surface temperature monitoring supports a more informed approach to managing self-heating risk, protecting local infrastructure and reducing the potential impact of fire on nearby communities.