PERTHSHIRE, UK, Sept. 28, 2007 -- SITA UK is delighted at the news that Perth & Kinross Council has approved plans for the company to develop two new facilities at its recycling and waste management site at Binn Farm near Glenfarg, Perthshire.
The council has given its seal of approval to plans for a 60,000 tonne per year energy from waste (EfW) facility and a 16,000 tonne per year Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) on land adjacent to existing waste facilities at Binn Farm.
The approval has come following the Scottish Government's decision that the planning application is entirely a matter for Perth and Kinross Council to determine in the manner it thinks fit.
John Grainger, SITA UK General Manager with responsibility for Scotland, said: "I am delighted with the council's decision and the Scottish Government's position on this issue.
"SITA UK believes its proposals, which rely on tried and tested technology, are the best option for reducing the amount of local waste being sent to landfill in Perth and Kinross. Recent policy announcements from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) have both backed energy from waste with COSLA calling it 'one component of a sensible and practical waste strategy'."
"The proposals for the two facilities are entirely consistent with the Tayside Strategic Outline Case for the future of waste management in the area, which was presented to the Scottish Government in 2006. In that document the Tayside authorities (including Perth and Kinross Council) highlighted the development of a new EfW waste plant as a preferred option for the area. In addition, the Perth and Kinross Council's emerging Local Plan identifies the Binn Farm site as a suitable location for resource recovery related facilities, which is why SITA UK promoted the development in this location.
"We will now begin the process of applying for a Pollution Prevention Control (PPC) permit from SEPA. The PPC permit is a document drawn up by SEPA that provides the framework for the operating and monitoring of the new facilities, and is essential for us to move this project to the next stage."
Binn Farm is located approximately eight kilometers southeast of Perth. The proposed site for the new facilities is to the west of the existing Binn landfill site, and is two kilometers from Glenfarg, which is the nearest village. The site has its own private means of access, which links directly to the A912, and lies in close proximity to Junction 9 of the M90 motorway.
It is anticipated that the new facilities, which could be operational by 2013, will provide around 150 jobs during the construction phase, with as many as 50 permanent jobs being created once the facilities are fully operational.
The EfW facility will handle municipal waste from Perth and Kinross that cannot be recycled or composted. It will not accept hazardous waste. The MRF will deal with the separation and packaging of dry recyclables such as glass, paper and plastic recycled by residents of Perth and Kinross and the surrounding area.
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