On September 30th 2026, the Senedd unanimously agreed to a backbench members motion calling for an organised programme to clean up land contaminated by industrial chemicals.

While the issue is well-known, it generated more public interest following the 2026 BBC Wales documentary series Buried, presented by actor Michael Sheen, which focused on the issue of chemical dumping at sites across Wales.

Land can be contaminated for different reasons, usually former industrial use. 

Some infamous sites in Wales – such as Brofiscin quarry in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Llwyneinion Lagoon near Wrexham – have been used as industrial chemical waste dumps in the past by major international corporations. These cases pre-date devolution, but some of the chemicals are known as “forever chemicals” (PFASs) and have since been banned or phased out. Others, such as PCBs, are known to be cancer-causing.

Lesser contaminated land can be reused with suitable safety and environmental measures; some sites have been built on as part of brownfield developments.

Minimal effort has been made to clean up or remediate these sites and they are likely to remain unusuable. Some companies, such as Monsanto, have denied any responsibility for pollution¹.

Some of the chemicals involved has been linked to rare forms of cancer or other diseases in humans and animals². It’s unclear how many people in Wales have been exposed in such a way that it impacts their health.

During the September 2026 debate, figures from Friends of the Earth Cymru were quoted suggested that there could be as many as 45,000 potentially contaminated sites in Wales.