Scotland's 'most-advanced' recycling centre opens in Aberdeen

A £27 million recycling and resource facility in Aberdeen has been described as Scotland's 'most advanced' by council chiefs.

A state-of-the-art recycling centre opened in Aberdeen can process 20 tonnes in a single hour.

The Altens East site, where mixed recyclables are collected from homes and businesses before being sold for re-processing, was opened on Monday.

It is capable of processing 20 tonnes of mixed recycling an hour, including glass, cardboard, paper, plastics and metals.

The latest recycling rates since the roll-out of a new recycling-priority bin in March shows 49 per cent of the city’s waste is now being recycled, which is a 25 per cent increase on last year’s figure.

The facility, which will also include a replacement vehicle depot for the council’s waste collection fleet, was opened by Jenny Laing, co-leader of Aberdeen City Council

She said: “The new £27 million recycling and resource facility is a first for Scotland as it’s the country’s most advanced – and also newest – mixed recycling facility.

“I am delighted to open this fantastic new facility as it will further our commitment to be a zero waste city by encouraging recycling as much as we can.

“We have already increased our recycling rates by 25 per cent since the introduction of a new recycling-priority bin to residents six months ago and the new facility will mean more of this waste will be made into new goods, which is good for the environment and our residents.”

The plant enables Aberdeen City Council to meet the requirements of the biodegradable waste landfill ban, which comes into effect at the end of 2020.

The facility was developed by Suez recycling and recovery on behalf of Aberdeen City Council and it diverts 71,000 tonnes of Aberdeen’s waste from landfill every year.

David Palmer-Jones, chief executive officer of Suez recycling and recovery UK, said: “This state-of-the-art facility is the first of its kind in Scotland and Suez recycling and recovery UK is delighted to be working in partnership with Aberdeen City Council in creating a society where there is no more waste.

“The facility has created almost 50 jobs for local residents and we are looking forward to further deepening our relationship with the local community.”