SOME 37,000 tonnes of mixed (black bag) household waste is to be diverted from landfill and instead processed to generate electricity in the Highlands.
It comes as the Highland Council announces new arrangements for the disposal of mixed household waste in Inverness and Nairnshire, with it being delivered to the Viridor Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) in Dunbar, East Lothian.
Viridor will process and treat the waste before using it to generate electricity which is exported onto the national grid. Mixed waste from homes and businesses in Skye and Lochalsh, Badenoch and Strathspey has already been diverted from landfill to Viridor’s facility since early January.
The Highland Council has a five-year contract with Viridor, with a three-year optional extension to process up to 72,000 tonnes of waste each year.
Chair of Highland Council’s communities and place committee, councillor Graham MacKenzie, said, “Energy recovery is not only a safe and cost-effective waste disposal method but is better for the environment as it creates less greenhouse gas emissions compared to landfilling waste, even with the haulage taken into account.
“However, reducing our consumption and increasing recycling is still vitally important and ultimately has a greater impact on reducing our carbon emissions and conserving natural resources.
“In a recent analysis of waste in Highland carried out last year, a staggering 61% of the material in green (refuse) bins was found to be material that could be recycled using the facilities provided by the council, or composted. A large proportion of this was food waste with the remainder being metals, clothing, paper, card, electrical items, glass bottles and jars all of which are easily recyclable. This goes to show there is plenty of room for improvement when it comes to recycling.
“Our business waste customers will also see reductions in their carbon emissions when the waste we collect from them is diverted to energy recovery, helping them to adopt a more sustainable business model. We recognise how important this will be for businesses going forward and we are pleased to be able to offer options higher up the waste hierarchy within Highland.”
Steven Don, head of contracts Scotland at Viridor, commented, “We are delighted to be working with Highland Council to divert non-recyclable residual waste away from landfill, capturing its inherent energy to generate electricity. Highland Council’s objectives to promote waste minimisation and to maximise recycling through utilisation of the council’s recycling services are fully aligned with Viridor’s purpose of building a world where nothing goes to waste.”
