FCC Environment has unveiled plans for the development of a 300,000 tonnes per year capacity energy from waste facility (EfW) on the site of its Greengairs landfill site in North Lanarkshire.
According to the company, the development of the new facility, and its general plans for redevelopment of the landfill site, are in direct response to the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Strategy, and plans to ban biodegradable municipal waste from landfill from 2021.
A proposal of application notice (PoAN) has been submitted to North Lanarkshire council for the development of the new facility, which precedes a period of public consultation to inform local residents of the plans for the plant.
FCC has also said it will set out a ‘masterplan’ for the future operation of the existing landfill site, which has a total capacity to handle around 130,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste per year.
Milestone
Gillian Sinclair, Development Manager from FCC Environment said: “This marks an important and exciting milestone in the future of the Greengairs Landfill site. The way that waste is dealt with in Scotland is changing rapidly and as a leading operator in this field we need to be agile to this.
“This masterplan represents a significant investment into North Lanarkshire and by using proven, energy-from-waste technology, we are moving away from the landfilling of biodegradable waste to be in line with the Scottish Government’s “zero waste” strategy.
“As the Greengairs masterplan continues to take shape, FCC very much look forward to continuing to engage with the local community and stakeholders over the coming months, allowing them to view, comment and take part in this next chapter for the Greengairs site.”
Although the EfW facility will be operational long after the introduction of Scotland’s BMW to landfill ban comes into effect, the development of new EfW capacity in the country is likely to be welcomed given concerns that the country is currently under-prepared for the 2021 ban.
Current estimates suggest that a capacity gap of up to 1 million tonnes per annum is likely to open up, given a lack of alternatives to landfill, which could see waste displaced to landfill sites in the north of England.
FCC has previously brought forward plans to develop MBT and in-vessel composting facilities on the site – although these never came to fruition (see letsrecycle.com story).
Fuente: LET´S RECYCLE