Scots companies urged to recycle

- Published: 07 January, 2010

Scottish food companies are being encouraged to recycle their waste and help power the region.

With landfill tax set to rise by £8 per tonne each year until at least 2013, Scottish Water Horizons - the commercial arm of Scottish Water - is keen to hear from businesses that have solid and liquid waste that could be turned into electricity.

The Deerdykes Organics Recycling Facility in Cumbernauld composts food and garden waste, but from spring next year a £7m anaerobic digestion unit will turn 30,000t of food waste into about 8,000 megawatts of power each year - enough electricity to power up to 2,000 homes.

Chris Banks, commercial director of Scottish Water, said: “This electricity will be used at Deerdykes and any surplus will either be used to power the neighbouring industrial estate or delivered back to Scottish Water, via the national grid, as part of the company’s vision to become a low-carbon water company. A scheme to export the heat to local homes and businesses is also being investigated.”

The process also produces nutrient-rich digestate, which can be used as a liquid fertiliser to improve soil quality.