Falkirk Council has entered a new partnership that will ensure all waste from bulky uplifts that previously ended up in landfill is instead recycled or turned into energy.
The Council has appointed waste contractors Levenseat on a ten-year contract to recover material for recycling and reuse at the Levenseat facility at Falkirk, near Polmont and convert the remaining waste into energy at the Levenseat facility at Forth, Lanarkshire.
Bulky uplift waste
Bulky waste is uplifted and collected as normal from either the kerbside bulky uplift service or through deposits at the household recycling centres, before being transported to Levenseat’s Lathallan site at Falkirk for processing.
The newly configured facility uses the latest technology to recover high levels of recyclable material from a complex waste stream. Resources such as wood, metal, plastics, and aggregates are separated, recovered, and recycled, extending their lifecycle.
Any remaining unrecyclable material is then prepared into a fuel and used to make energy at the Levenseat Renewable Energy Power Plant.
Councillor Bryan Deakin, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for Climate Change explained:
“This new facility available within the Falkirk Council area, provides local employment opportunity and contributes significantly towards the Council’s carbon emission reductions in line with the Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan.
“It offers a much safer and environmentally friendly way of treating waste than landfill disposal which is especially harmful to the environment. It is a very modern and hi-tech solution to what is a challenging problem. I am proud that Falkirk is one of the first Councils to be taking these steps”.
Angus Hamilton, Levenseat’s Managing Director said:
“It is with great pleasure that we announce our 10-year partnership with Falkirk Council to process bulky household waste, which ties in with our commissioning of Scotland’s largest dedicated processing facility.
“This waste stream has in the past proven to be a challenge for the industry, with materials often ending up in Landfill. Our new facility at Lathallan, Falkirk, offers a more environmentally friendly solution, and we are delighted that we can Support Falkirk councils recycling objectives and help them move towards a low carbon, circular economy for the Falkirk area.”
The new contract also fulfils the Scottish Government’s requirement of diverting biodegradable waste from landfill by 31 December 2025.