Inverness waste facility could have saved millions
Planning permission has been granted for the long-awaited materials recovery facility near the former Longman landfill site in Inverness but it arrives “a day late and a dollar short,” according to some.
The facility will process refuse to recover recyclable materials and “reclaim value” from the remaining refuse by preparing it for use as refuse-derived fuel.
The move to meet upcoming changes to national waste regulations was welcomed at Highland Council but some members expressed their frustration it had not come sooner.
Councillor Andrew Jarvie said the council could have saved £25 million in land-fill tax over the last seven years had it acted quickly.
He said: “This project has been delayed needlessly for years, costing the public purse some £25 million since 2012 when the 2021 deadline was set. In that time, the council has been needlessly paying £3-4 million per year in landfill tax.
“Instead we are a day late and a dollar short. Instead of exploring the commercial opportunities in the power station fuel that this plant will produce from waste, the council is instead worrying about who will they pay to take it away.
“This just screams of the complete inability this council has to actually make and save any money. I don’t think anyone would go to fill their car up with fuel and expect to get paid for it.”
Chairman of the environment, development and infrastructure committee, Councillor Allan Henderson defended the facility.
He said: “The Longman facility will play a pivotal role in Highland Council’s plans to divert refuse from landfill as well as aiding efficient transportation of our waste and reducing the climate and wider environmental impacts associated with this.”
