WRG granted permission for Lanarkshire MBT plant

The proposals by Waste Recycling Group, were approved by the council's Planning and Transportation Committee last week (March 17), and will involve just 25% of the waste that arrives at the project being developed at Greengairs site near Airdrie being sent to landfill.

Instead, the company plans to use the material produced by the in-vessel composting process in the phased restoration of the landfill site, while recyclables recovered by the mechanical biological treatment process will be sent on to reprocessors.

The consultants who prepared proposals for the project on behalf of WRG, Edinburgh-based Terence O'Rourke, claimed that it would make a “significant impact” in helping Scotland to reach its ambitious 'zero waste' targets.

Director, Adrian French, said: “The approval of this scheme is an important step forward in addressing Scotland's future waste recovery and recycling needs, and we are very pleased to have assisted WRG in this innovative project.”

WRG aims to have the new development up-and-running by 2012, subject to finalising a legal agreement and discharging the council's planning conditions, and the company's regional operations manager, Jim Cairney echoed Mr French's comments about the project's significance.

“Development of this facility will be a significant step in WRG's strategy to assist the Scottish local authorities meet the zero waste targets set by the Scottish Government,” he said. “By treating municipal waste WRG will divert waste from landfill and significantly increase recyclates recovery.”

Greengairs

Greengairs is currently Scotland's largest consented landfill site, and planning documents which accompanied WRG's planning application for the project reveal a 30-year renewed consent, based on the site accepting 600,000 tonnes of residual waste a year, was granted in 2008.

The planning approval granted last week requires WRG not to increase the total amount of waste that comes onto the site every year above that figure once the MBT and IVC developments are built.

In the report considered by the council's planning committee, planning officers explain that the waste would generally comprise: “Garden/botanical/kitchen/catering/animal wastes from municipal sources; waste transfer stations (WTS) and household waste recycling centres (HWRC) as well as commercial and industrial waste streams.”

The report also notes that, of this, 15%, or around 31,500 tonnes-a-year, would be recovered as recyclates, 60%, or around 126,000 tonnes-a-year, would be biodegradable waste and 25%, or 52,500 tonnes-a-year would be sent to landfill.