SITA UK project to manage Scottish waste
26 Jan 2011
London – SITA UK is to submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to Aberdeenshire Council outlining its plans to develop a multi-million pound resource recovery park as part of its contract to manage the treatment and disposal of Aberdeenshire’s waste for the next 15 years.
The company’s plans for modern, sophisticated waste treatment facilities will divert waste from landfill and recover as much value as possible from the 100,000 tonnes of residual household waste that is produced by homes in Aberdeenshire every year.
Residual waste is waste from household sources that has not been separated out for recycling.
The resource recovery park will incorporate a range of high-tech solutions, including a mechanical biological treatment facility, in-vessel composting and a gasification plant.
These will be developed adjacent to the existing Stoneyhill landfill site, which is 1.5km west of Longhaven and 7km south west of Peterhead, and will lead to the creation of 200 jobs during construction and 35 permanent operational jobs.
The resource recovery park will be in line with Scotland’s Zero Waste Policy, which seeks to make the most efficient use of resources by minimising the country’s demand on primary resources and maximising the re-use, recycling and recovery of resources, instead of treating them as waste.
The aim is to minimise the levels of waste currently being put into landfill by increasing recovery rates and treating the non-recycled waste through mechanical biological treatment and gasification plant, which will produce electricity for the National Grid.
As part of its pre-application consultation process, SITA UK will be holding public exhibitions in Spring 2011 to enable the local community to get involved in the process before plans are finalised and the application is made. Further details about the exhibitions will be released nearer the time.
A planning application will then be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council during the first half of this year. As part of the development, SITA UK hopes to create the Stoneyhill Community Fund, which would offer financial assistance to worthy projects in the local community.
At present, Aberdeenshire produces about 150,000 tonnes of household waste a year, out of which 50,000 tonnes is sent for recycling, while the remaining 100,000 tonnes is sent to landfill. SITA said if it gets the go-ahead, the amount of residual waste sent to landfill in the county will be reduced by about 70%.
Martin Cracknell, SITA’s strategic development manager in Scotland, said: “”The Stoneyhill Resource Recovery Park represents an enormous amount of inward investment of approximately £60 million, with significant socio-economic benefits, including the creation of about 200 jobs during the construction phase, and a further 35 permanent jobs to operate the facilities at the park.
