A new waste transfer station has been completed in Inverness ready for operation in April.
The £14 million facility will be the first port of call for rubbish and recycling coming from across Inverness and Nairn to be sorted and processed.
Highland Council currently collects and disposes of around 130,000 tonnes of household and commercial waste each year, with only 35% of this material recycled.
Mixed waste will then be sent to Viridor’s energy from waste facility in Dunbar, in East Lothian, where it will be used to generate electricity.
This prevents the bulk of waste material from ending up in landfill sites and helps Highland Council comply with the Scottish Government’s plan to outlaw landfill dumping by 2026.
The council’s communities and place committee chairman, Graham MacKenzie said: “With around 65,000 tonnes of waste and recycling expected to be processed through the site annually, this equates to almost half of all the waste and recycling in Highland and demonstrates the important role it will play in contributing to the council’s long-term waste management strategy.
‘High-quality efficient new facility’
“By sending our mixed waste to an energy from waste plant, we will start seeing significantly lower carbon emissions from waste management activities in the Highlands, even with the additional transport requirements, which is brilliant news in contributing to achieving our net-zero goals.”
While the facility is now complete, it will begin operations in April with six full-time staff employed.
Officials say the new station is a “key addition” to helping dispose of Inverness’s waste in a responsible and eco-friendly manner.
It will feature two weighbridges with any recyclable material that will be sent to processing stations around the country.
Donald McLachlan, managing director for Morrison Construction who built the facility, added: “This has been a fantastic project for our business to be involved with and we are pleased to be able to assist Highland Council in contributing towards their carbon reduction goals, with this high-quality efficient new facility.”
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