Perth and Kinross Council signs £50 million deal to turn waste into energy

Perth & Kinross Council has awarded a significant 10-year contract worth £50 million to treat residual waste and turn it into energy.

The Council has appointed Paprec Energies Binn Ltd and from August, both will work in partnership to manage the waste through a thermal treatment, energy recovery and recycling solution.

Currently, around 40,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste collected in Perth and Kinross each year is sent to landfill. This material will be banned from landfill as new Scottish landfill regulations come into force at the end of 2025.

Councillor Richard Watters, Convener for the Climate Change & Sustainability Committee said: “Through this contract the Council has sought to find a sustainable alternative for our residual waste and one which will also meet the Scottish Governments ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste.

When planning the new contract, we were very aware of the carbon impact from waste management and therefore it was important to secure a solution that could reduce carbon emissions in line with our Climate Change Strategy.”

Councillor Andrew Parrott, Convener for the Environment, Infrastructure & Economic Development Committee added: “This energy from waste solution offers a safer and less environmentally damaging way of treating unavoidable non-recyclable waste that previously went to landfill. Still, we recognise that avoiding waste in the first place must be the main priority and encourage residents to continue to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible.”

A new Energy from Waste facility is being developed at the Binn Eco Park in Glenfarg, realising a major investment of over £90 million. The facility will be operational by 2026. Once operational the facility will generate energy (heat and electric power).

The facility will add capacity to the existing private renewable energy grid at the Binn Eco Park and has the potential to power an extended private renewable energy grid into Perth. The heat from the facility will supply heat using processes at the Eco Park including advanced horticultural systems.

Councillor Grant Laing, Leader of Perth & Kinross Council said:” We are pleased that by securing this contract Paprec Binn will now proceed with their Energy from Waste development at the Binn Eco Park. “This will secure local jobs and provides further economic and community benefits including the creation of a generous Community Benefit Fund. We look forward to developing a close working relationship with Paprec Binn to realise the future ambitions for the Binn Eco Park.”

Sébastien Petithguguenin, CEO of Paprec said ‘We are very happy that Perth and Kinross Council chose us for this project. Scotland has always been at the forefront of environmental thinking and Perth & Kinross Council’s ambition to transition waste from landfill into the circular economy is a clear way to answer to the challenges of this century. Paprec are proud to work in partnership with Binn Group in delivery of this ambition and our common values of commitment and long term thinking will help us realise this vision. We will be with you all the way, thank you for your trust.’

Allan MacGregor CEO of Binn Group said:”I am delighted Perth & Kinross Council have seen the strength of our proposition which will see the construction of the new energy recovery facility at Binn Farm and release the many benefits this exciting project can deliver for the local economy and the Binn Eco Park’.

Interim solutions for the management of the Councils residual waste are in place till the facility is operational in 2026.

The only change for residents will be the introduction of separate skips for black bag and bulky items at Recycling Centres.
To find out more about reducing, reusing and recycling, visit www.pkc.gov.uk/recycle, email [email protected] or telephone the Council’s Customer Service Centre on 01738 476476.

About Paprec Energies Binn Ltd

Paprec Energies Binn Ltd is a new company incorporated to develop the energy from waste facility at Binn Farm, Glenfarg and the parent companies are Paprec Energies UK Ltd and Binn Group Ltd.

Paprec Group was founded by the Petithuguenin’s family in 1994 and has been managed by the family since its creation. Paprec is the French leader in recycling and one of the main European actors of waste treatment and energy from waste recovery.

The group has grown from 45 employees to 13,000, spread over more than 300 sites in ten countries. In 2022, the group managed 16 million tonnes of waste and sales went over 2.5 billion euros.

Binn Group is Scotland’s leading independent provider of integrated recycling and Waste Management Services. They provide a comprehensive collection, processing and recycling solution, transforming waste into re-usable resources.

Established over 20 years ago by father and son John and Allan MacGregor as a land diversification project on their estate at Binn Farm, Binn Group has quickly become a recognised and trusted name for all recycling and resource management needs across Scotland, employing over 140 people.