Waste management firm Viridor has secured a two-year contract with North Lanarkshire Council to continue separating its co-mingled dry recyclables.
Viridor has been sorting recyclates from North Lanarkshire since March, when it was awarded an interim contract with the council. The arrangement followed the decision by waste management company Shanks to close its Glasgow MRF and withdraw from the Scottish market.
The new contract, which began in October and includes options for extension, will see approximately 30,000 tonnes of co-mingled recyclables (paper, card, metal, cartons and plastic) collected from 130,000 householders and 250 collection points in the area sent for separation at Viridor’s materials recovery facility (MRF) in Bargeddie.
Once delivered to the MRF, the recyclates will be combined with materials from South Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Aberdeenshire and Highland councils, tagged, and sent for further processing at Viridor’s network facilities before being sold on to the secondary raw materials marketplace.
The new contract will reportedly secure 18 jobs at the MRF, which already employs 150 people.
Steven Don, Scottish Regional Manager for Viridor, said: “With a firm focus on giving the world’s resources new life, this latest partnership between Viridor and North Lanarkshire Council is great news – great news for the county, for the council, and communities both in relation to enhanced recycling and an associated package of community benefits including our flagship education partnership.”
Viridor has been increasing its presence in the Lanarkshire region in recent years, and earlier this year announced that is was investing £25 million in a new glass recycling centre in Newhouse, North Lanarkshire.
The ‘next generation’ facility at Newhouse, Lanarkshire, will recycle glass from 17 Scottish local authorities and will reportedly have the capacity to recycle 200,000 tonnes of glass per year (around 150 per cent of glass packaging currently collected in Scotland) once opened later this year.
Find out more about Viridor.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.