An investment of £6 million is to be made to upgrade Viridor’s Bonnyrigg glass recycling plant for it to become the most advanced facility of its type in Europe.
The £3 million 100,000 tonne facility was obtained through the acquisition of MacGlass in 2003 and Viridor’s investment will mean that it will have next generation recycling infrastructure and will be only one of three of the latest specification technology solutions for glass across the globe. The other two are being developed in Australia and France.
It means that the plant will have the ability to colour sort mixed glass back to original streams for a high quality recyclate, while rejecting material contamination.
Viridor Scottish regional director Colin Paterson said: “Viridor is Scotland’s leading recycling, renewable energy and sustainable waste partner and is leading investment in the next generation infrastructure our nation will need to achieve a zero waste economy. This latest investment will not only bring world-leading infrastructure to Scotland, but will place us at the forefront of European glass recycling capabilities.
“Glass recycling is a real Scottish success story and in addition to meaning more high quality product is available for remanufacture in Scotland, supporting everything from Irn Bru to scotch whisky, this investment will enable councils and companies to enhance sustainability.”
Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead added: “Zero waste isn’t simply about high rates of recycling, it’s about extracting the most value we can from items that can be recycled. Closed loop recycling – glass going back to glass – reduces our consumption of raw materials and helps reduce carbon emission.
“This £6 million technology Viridor is investing in will mean that glass can potentially be recycled an infinite number of times, a win-win for our planet and our economy.”
Why not attend the Achieving High Quality and High Value Recycling conference and networking event on 21 March at Warwick Racecourse? Find out more here
