Glasgow shopping centre achieves zero waste in six weeks

The shopping centre in Pollok, Glasgow, which accommodates 14m customers annually, has also increased its recycling rate from 9% to 97%. Shanks claims this saves it landfill costs, such as tax and gate fees, of over 50% per month.

Shank recycles the general waste at its facility in Blochairn, Glasgow and the organic waste is sent to its anaerobic digestion plant at Cumbernauld. Here the organic waste is converted into biogas for renewable energy generation and digestate for use as a nutrient-rich soil conditioner. The remaining 3%, which cannot be recycled, is sent for energy recovery.

Shanks’ UK managing director, Ian Goodfellow said: “At Shanks, our focus is on ensuring that the maximum amount of waste can be recycled or recovered as clean energy. Achieving zero-waste in just six weeks is fantastic, particularly given the shopping centre’s size. Importantly, this achievement shows that zero waste is a very realistic goal for any organisation.”

Conor McGlone