Proposals for first phase of £70m state-of-the-art recycling centre to be submitted

Tuesday 10 June 2008

Proposals for the first phase of a £70M state-of-the-art recycling centre which would eventually be able to cope with all West Lothian’s commercial, industrial and municipal waste recycling needs will shortly be submitted to West Lothian District Council.

Hamilton-based developer Banks Developments and West Lothian’s leading waste recycling company Scotwaste are set to put forward a joint proposal for the scheme, which would be situated on land at the Pond Industrial Estate, around two kilometres south-west of Bathgate, which the companies co-own.

Phase one of the scheme would involve the construction of two buildings – the centre’s Waste Receivals Hall and Mechanical Separation & Sorting Hall.

And if plans are approved, the facility would eventually include a range of the most advanced recycling technologies available on the market, including anaerobic digestion, gasification and synthetic diesel production.

It is believed that it is the first time anywhere in the UK that these three technologies have been used in the same waste management facility.

A detailed planning application for the full waste management facility will be submitted in due course, and a full community consultation process would be carried out in advance of the submission, to ensure local people are able to find out as much as possible about the rationale for and details of the plan.

Colin Anderson, managing director at Banks Developments, says: “What we’re proposing represents a real ‘first’ for the UK, and would be a very significant investment that will enable West Lothian to minimise the amount of waste it sends to landfill.

“There is a real desire from everyone to reduce waste and recycle as much as we can, and the technologies we’re proposing to invest in will make this possible.”

Stewart Melrose, director at Scotwaste, adds: “Aside from the obvious environmental arguments for recycling as much waste as possible, there’s an increasingly strong financial rationale for making the size and type of investment that we’re looking to make in Bathgate.

“The cost of sending material to landfill is spiralling upwards, as ever higher taxes are imposed every year in this area, and it therefore makes sense to recover as much material from the waste stream as possible, a process which this new facility would allow.

“The energy and fuel produced through these technologies will also be extremely useful in times when energy costs are rising sharply.

“Scotwaste has operated successfully from the Pond site for more than four decades, and if approved, the new recycling centre would be operated to the very highest environmental and safety standards.”

A decision on the first phase planning application is expected by the Autumn, with a view to plans for the whole scheme being appraised by this time next year.

Last updated: Tuesday 10 June 2008, 14:57 PM