Glasgow city council has named waste management firm Viridor as the likely candidate to be awarded the citys 25 year waste disposal contract.
The councils procurement project board has recommended the company be named preferred bidder for the deal, with formal approval expected at a meeting of the executive committee on December 8.
The announcement marks the end of a two year procurement process, which saw Viridor vying with 3SE, Biffa and Glasgow Renewables to secure the contract.
3SE, a consortium made up of Scottish and Southern Energy and Shanks, which later became Shanks John Laing, had been short-listed alongside Viridor in January 2011(see letsrecycle.com story).Each bid was assessed against five criteria – technical evaluation, financial evaluation, price, legal evaluation and community benefit.
Viridors proposal involves the 150 million regeneration of a waste transfer station at the council site in Polmadie, including the development of materials recovery facility (MRF), anaerobic digestion plant and advanced conversion facilities. It is estimated that over the course of the 25-year contract, the recyclable material processed at the Polmadie plant could save the council around 240 million.
Affordable
Glasgow city council leader Councillor Gordon Matheson, said: This facility is part of the next generation of sustainable infrastructure that will put the Zero Waste Plan into practise. It will end the citys reliance on expensive and unpopular landfill, help us harvest tens of thousands of tonnes more recycling and use the rest of our trash to produce an affordable, clean source of heat and power for local communities.
Under the new proposals, waste going through the Polmadie plant will be sorted at the MRF to separate recyclables including metals, plastics, paper and card. Smaller material will then go through the AD plant, where it will produce heat and electricity.
Any remaining material will then be sent to the advanced conversion facility, where it will be broken down into a combustible gas, used to power turbines which will also send power back to the national grid. It is also possible for heat to be recovered from this process which, Cllr. Matheson says, will be used to heat homes across the city.
Renewable Energy
That is why projects like this one will be at the heart of Warm Glasgow- our long term project to make warmth a reality for all in this city. Without this facility, we would not only be faced with the depressing prospect of piling millions of tonnes of waste into the ground over the coming years; but we would also pay through the nose to do so.
Scottish regional director at Viridor, Colin Paterson, said: As Scotlands leading recycling, renewable energy and sustainable waste partner, Viridor welcomes the notification by Glasgow city council that it is to seek committee approval to announce the company as the successful participant. Should the executive committee determine to proceed, Viridor stands ready to work towards a financial close on the project and to further drive sustainability and zero waste objectives for the council and its communities.
The council estimates that around 200,000 tonnes of waste will be provided each year, of which they will look to divert 90% away from landfill and increase the citys overall recycling rate by 10.8%.
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