Tayside Environmental Action Group

Plastics - Perth & Kinross Council does very little recycling of plastics. They only recycle PET1 and HDPE, and only in bottle form (for example they do not take plastic fruit punnets, even if they are made of PET1). They do not recycle any other type of plastic, plastic wrapping or plastic containers as they state they do not have the facilities for handling these forms of packaging.

In contrast, Western Isles Council (WIC) collects and bales PET1, HDPE and PP, in any form. They also collect carrier bags. All of this material is then sent to Stirling Fibres, where it is processed and sold within the UK. As well as kerbside collections of plastic, WIC also collects plastics at all of their recycling depots. By contrast, Perth & Kinross only take plastics at a handful of their larger depots.

Glass - Western Isles' kerbside scheme takes glass; Perth & Kinross's does not. Taking more materials at more depots would be more in line with the Waste Hierarchy and Best Practical Environmental Option. It would also be in line with the Tayside Area Waste Plan, Section 3. If Western Isles Council can do it, surely Perth & Kinross can too.
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Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a form of composting, as it uses bacteria to break down organic matter. Therefore in terms of the Waste Hierarchy and Best Practical Environmental Option, AD should take precedence over incineration.

According to Peter Jones, Director of Biffa Waste Services Ltd, incineration produces as much as 2 tonnes of Co2 per tonne of waste, compared with only 150-200kg per tonne with anaerobic digestion (AD). The proposed incinerator could produce up to 120,000 tonnes of Co2 every year. This represents a breach of Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration, which Perth & Kinross Council signed up to in January 2007. This requires Councils to reduce their production of greenhouse gases, including those from waste management.

Western Isles Council has rejected incineration in favour of AD and an ambitious recycling programme that takes many more materials than Perth & Kinross.

WIC predicts that it will be able to deal with two thirds of their biodegradable municipal waste. [N.B. It is only the biodegradable portion of waste that is subject to possible European surcharges.] With regard to financing an AD project, Iain McLeod, Scottish Parliament, has told me that the Parliament gave financial support to Western Isles Council for its AD project through its Strategic Waste Fund. He also said:- "Anaerobic digestion is also one of the eligible technologies when the Waste and Resources Action Programme, which is funded by the Parliament, carry out capital grant schemes to support infrastructure to treat organic waste."
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This is a method of incineration in an oxygen-starved environment, producing synthetic gas that can be used for generating electricity. It produces about 15% charred waste, which must be sent to landfill. However this is better than conventional incineration which produces about 30% toxic ash. I am told that poisons such as dioxins cannot form because of the airless environment in the incinerator (however, ought we put such faith in technology to always work properly?)
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It is understood that plasma gasification involves heating waste with an electric arc to very high temperatures, turning all organic material (including dangerous organic compounds) into synthetic gas that can be used to generate electricity. The only waste is an inert vitreous material that can be used a building aggregate, thereby diverting waste from landfill in accordance with the Waste Hierarchy. There are no emissions to air, other than CO2 when the synthetic gas is burnt to generate electricity.

Any of these four alternatives are more environmentally friendly than incineration and should take precedence over incineration in accordance with the Waste Hierarchy and Best Practical Environmental Option, and with the Tayside Area Waste Plan, Section 3. Even Gasification and Plasma Gasification should be considered as preferable to conventional incineration as they potentially have far fewer toxic emissions either to air, or to land (in the form of ash).

N.B. On 20 November 2006 Plasco Energy Group, a PG company, was contacted asking them to comment on claims by Sita that plasma gasification takes more electricity than it produces. They were also asked if they would consider setting up a plant at Binn Farm. They said that they would be glad to do so. Please see email and Plasco's reply. ^Return to Top^

Aerobic digestion is a biological treatment process that uses long-term aeration to
stabilize and reduce the total mass of organic waste by biologically destroying volatile
solids. The process renders the digested sludge less likely to generate odors on disposal and reduces bacteriological hazards.One company, Premier Waste Management Ltd, based in the north of England are currently using this technology. They take un-segregated household waste and converting the organic components into compost. Some of the compost has been used to help turn a brownfield site into a coppice woodland for fuel. This alternative approach has led to a reduction of 85% in waste going to local landfill. For more information on one example please see report from Premier Waste Management Ltds.
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Planning permission for an incinerator already exists for a site at Shore Road. According to SEPA the proposed incinerator at Binn Farm will only be 22% efficient as it will not use residual low-grade heat, which will just go up the chimney. By contrast, if the incinerator was built at Shore Road, residual heat could be used to heat local buildings. In other words it would be a Combined Heat & Power plant, with an efficiency rating of at least 60%. Therefore the proposed build at Binn Farm would be a clear breach of the Scottish Parliament's National Waste Plan, which requires “maximising resource efficiency and value recovery from wastes that are produced.”

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