Work to rebuild the fire-ravaged Altens recycling centre is finally under way — almost two years after it was destroyed.
An “uncontrollable” blaze ripped through the state-of-the-art Suez Recycling and Recovery UK facility on Hareness Road in July 2022.
At its height, around 100 firefighters from across the north-east were tasked with battling the fire — which lasted nearly five days.
But despite the huge effort from the fire service and Suez staff, most of the £27 million facility was left a burnt-out shell.
Although bosses say they will never be able to pinpoint exactly what sparked the fire it is believed to have been caused by a lithium battery – possibly from an electric toothbrush or vape.
And now, almost two years later, the ground has finally been broken on the £30m rebuild.
What’s involved in rebuild plans for Altens recycling centre?
In December 2022, the fire-wrecked building was demolished so the rebuilding process could begin.
Suez told the Press & Journal of plans to not only rebuild the plant but to upgrade it to make it “even better”.
Now it has been confirmed that while the building itself will look “almost exactly the same” on the outside, the inside will include the latest technology and machinery.
The rebuild will be carried out in phases and has started with the cladding from the current, and temporary, transfer facility being removed.
It is expected this stage will be finished by summer, so recycled materials can still be “bulked” there before being taken away in lorries.
The visitor centre, found in the adjoining office block, will also be included in the rebuild.
Suez plans for the new centre to not only educate residents about their waste and recycling, but will also offer a careers focus.
The full rebuild could take around a year to finish and will be followed by up to six months of testing — meaning the site should be fully operational by mid-2025.
Why is it needed?
The original £27m facility was built to divert 71,000 tonnes of Aberdeen’s waste from landfill each year.
Aberdeen residents have the ease of using a mixed recycling bin instead of needing several bins for recyclables at home.
But because of this, the facility used over 115 machines to separate the waste into 14 different groupings, including aluminium, waste paper and cardboard.
After being sorted, the materials would be compressed into blocks and sold to companies that would recycle and reuse them.
Only around 1% of the waste taken to the Altens ended up in a landfill — which was planned to be taken to the Ness incinerator when it fired up.
After it burnt down, Aberdeen’s household recycling needed to be sorted in Hartlepool — the closest facility that could handle the waste mixture.
Since then, around 80 trucks a month have taken up to 18 tonnes of mixed recycling on the 300-mile journey to the north-east of England.
‘Breaking ground is a real milestone’ for Altens rebuild
French firm Suez is working alongside Aberdeen City Council on the rebuild.
Colin Forshaw, production operations manager for Suez, explained the new facility will have all the latest technology to “get the most value out of everybody’s waste”.
He said: “We are delighted to get work under way to rebuild the recycling facility in Aberdeen.
“I’d like to thank the residents of Aberdeen for continuing to recycle. While we have some way to go before the new facility opens, breaking ground is a real milestone moment for us.”
Aberdeen City Council co-leader Ian Yuill agreed and said the “vital” facility improves recycling rates in the north-east.
He said: “We are excited to see the first spade in the ground for the recycling facility at Altens.
“Suez and our own recycling team are commended on the way they’ve handled the loss of the facility. However, we are all looking forward to having a refreshed and innovative facility back up and running.”
Conversation