A new “war on plastics” facility is poised for approval in Perthshire.
The £3 million recycling operation at Binn Farm, near Glenfarg, will have the potential to process all plastics from across Scotland, and beyond.
The scheme, backed by £1.7 million from Zero Waste Scotland, will be able to handle plastics that cannot currently be recycled, including laminated material, film and hard plastics such as washing up bowls and coat hangers.
The project has now recommended for approval by Perth and Kinross Council planners, despite an objection from the local community council.
The Abernethy watchdog group raised concerns following a public meeting earlier this summer.
The community council said drainage at the Binn site had been an issue for years. In its letter to council planners, chairman James Swan said: “The ad hoc approach to what is now classed in local plans as an industrial site is not the most satisfactory method of controlling these issues.”
The group said there were also calls to extend the consultation period, to give the public more time to scrutinise a health report which states the scheme could release a number of chemicals of potential concern into the atmosphere – such as cadmium, benzene, mercury and arsenic – but concluded the emissions are “considered to have a negligible impact on human health”.
A council spokeswoman confirmed the plans had been recommended for approval, with some outstanding issues still be clarified with the applicant.
The scheme is expected to be formally passed without the need to go before councillors.
The Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund is also backing the development, which is part of Project Beacon.
It will use state-of-the-art separation systems that feature mechanical recycling fused with a chemical recycling process, producing new plastics and other chemical products.
It is hoped the first demonstration facility will be up and running before the end of the year.
Earlier this summer, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment Roseanna Cunnningham visited the site to discuss the proposal.
She said at the time: “Project Beacon’s ethos and partnership approach supports our work to tackle Scotland’s throwaway culture.”
