A new recycling plant has opened in Scotland claiming to be the largest in the UK.
Livingston-based Brewster Bros provides construction, demolition and excavation waste management services for businesses across Scotland, producing recycled aggregate material from the waste. The company launched its new £3.8-million recycling centre this week, which has the capacity to process 400,000 tonnes of waste every year.
The new facility boasts a ‘state-of-the-art’ wet processing system, specifically designed by equipment supplier CDE Global to recycle the soil and rubble collected by Brewster Bros into quality UKAS-accredited sand and gravel.
Brewster Bros purchased the site from another recycling business, Henry Gillies, retaining 20 staff roles and making two new hires in the process. Transport Manager Derek Carmichael, who worked under the previous ownership, said: “It’s exciting to be a part of this new chapter… It is great news for the local area and the workforce to see this new plant open and carry on supporting the construction industry in the central belt with sustainable and forward-thinking recycling.”
The company is forecasting an annual turnover of £3 million. Director Scott Brewster described the plant as “a game-changer for the construction industry”, saying: “Our number one aim is to treat and recycle construction and demolition waste as a resource, ensuring zero waste to landfill.
“Through significant investment into state-of-the-art recycling techniques provided by the plant supplier CDE, we are looking forward to shaping the future of the recycling industry across Scotland and beyond. This new plant should act as a game-changer for the construction industry, by saving money for our customers and ensuring they can dispose of their construction and demolition waste in a cost-effective and sustainable way.”
The company hopes that the new facility will help Scotland on the path to its circular economy goals, including ensuring 70 per cent of construction and demolition waste is recycled by 2020. Stephen Boyle, Strategic Programme Manager for Construction, Zero commented: “In Scotland the construction sector is responsible for producing nearly half of the country’s waste, and recycling construction and demolition material has a key role to play in minimising that.
“By recycling, we can keep materials out of landfill and in high-value use for longer, reducing the need to quarry finite virgin material and helping the environment. But what the launch of the Brewster Bros recycling plant shows is that by recycling effectively we can also generate investment and create new jobs, which is great news for Scotland.”
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