Keenan Recycling expands with Zero Waste Scotland investment
The recycler will use the investment to expand its new site in Linwood and improve its integrated service which collects waste and converts it into energy.
The Linwood facility represents a £1.7 million investment and follows a biofuel plant trial at Keenan’s premises in Aberdeenshire.
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Hide AdWaste collected by Keenan is turned into liquidised fuel that will be shared with local anaerobic digester (AD) plants for conversion into green energy. Gas derived from the firm’s biofuel is used to create electricity, gas to grid and heat.
Operations director Gregor Keenan said: “We have always been passionate about having complete control of the waste material we are handling: from the moment it’s collected, through to processing.
"When we collect the waste, we have a chance to look in the bin and check its quality before passing it to our sites in New Deer and now Linwood. This ensures that there’s no contamination, which is a huge issue for AD plants.
"Any contamination results in a thick layer of non-organic material which has no gas-making potential and therefore reduces the profit of the operation to convert it into green energy.”
Processing more than 100,000 tonnes of organic waste a year, Keenan is already supplying AD plants throughout Scotland.
Zero Waste Scotland’s £18 million fund provides investment for small and medium-sized Scottish-based businesses to support of projects that will deliver growth in the circular economy.
Louise McGregor, head of circular economy, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “The circular economy seeks to eliminate all waste by keeping materials in circulation for as long as possible. By increasing efforts to salvage more organic waste, Keenan Recycling is making best use of resources that could have otherwise ended up in landfill.
"This is made even more important by the fact that food waste harms the environment as it gives off methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when left to rot."