New public-private-partnership to cut use of landfill in Argyll and Bute

The Scottish Executive has awarded a grant of £1.65 million per year from the Strategic Waste Fund to the project in order to aid the implementation of the proposed Area Waste Plan, with further revenue support for the project of £1.29 million per year. The scheme includes major infrastructure improvements that will enable seven of the council’s landfill sites to meet environmental standards. It will also provide three composting plants capable of extracting metals and bulky items, which will allow 48% of municipal waste collected in the area to be either recycled or composted within three years.

“The signing of the contract will enable the implementation of the proposed Area Waste Plan to get underway,” said Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development Rhona Brankin. “The option selected by the Waste Strategy Area Group was widely supported during earlier consultation on possible alternatives and focuses heavily on composting and recycling to meet the required objectives of the National Waste Strategy and reduce reliance on landfill. This is the first of many projects which the Executive hopes to support across Scotland and it is good to see that positive steps are being taken to deal more sensibly with the waste we produce.”

Argyll and Bute’s Areas Waste Plan is due to undergo a period of public consultation before being adopted as the final plan, and is one of eleven area waste plans are being developed across Scotland in order to develop sustainable waste management programmes for the next 20 years. Copies of the draft plan will shortly be available from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).