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Press and Journal
09-07-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Reason for Aberdeen bin collection delays REVEALED as city's incinerator struggles through ongoing issues
Ongoing issues at Aberdeen's incinerator have been blamed for missed or delayed bin collections. Aberdeen City Council this week issued an apology for missed and delayed bin pick-ups across the city. Refuse workers could not complete collections on all routes, leaving some residents with overflowing bins. Residents were told they would have to wait until their next scheduled collection day to have their waste taken away. The Press and Journal can now reveal the reason behind the disruption is down to the city's £150m waste centre experiencing ongoing issues. The plant's operator Indaver has cast doubt over its future involvement with the NESS project due to 'problems with operations'. Usually, non-recyclable waste from households is transported to the Energy from Waste (EfW) plant. The waste is then incinerated, which generates electricity. The Tullos-based plant was built under contract from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray councils. The incinerator is equipped to handle 150,000 tonnes of combined waste from the three local authorities. Indaver operates the facility and ongoing issues at the plant have prompted a review of their involvement. A spokesperson said: 'Indaver can confirm that, due to ongoing issues the company is experiencing in relation to its operations at the NESS waste-to-energy facility in Aberdeen, Scotland, the company is reviewing its future involvement in the project.' It is unclear what would happen should Indaver decide to stop operations. Aberdeen City Council has had to make alternative arrangements for bin collections. The council said: 'We apologise that bin collections are currently being impacted by short-term operational challenges. 'We have had to put alternative tipping arrangements in place due to the temporary unavailability of the Ness Energy from Waste Facility. 'Contingency arrangements have led to some minor disruption to service, but the team are working tirelessly to mitigate any delay, and we thank people for their patience. Residents should continue to put their bins out as normal.' Moray Council says they have had to divert to other waste disposal locations. A spokesperson said: 'Our services remain unaffected by this issue, other than having to divert to alternative disposal locations which have been sourced.' An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the current issues at the plant. 'We have worked with colleagues at Aberdeen City and Moray councils to ensure that there is no disruption to our household residual waste collections by ensuring alternative disposal arrangements are in place.'
STV News
09-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
City's incinerator shut and waste diverted to landfill amid row between operators
Aberdeen's incinerator is closed because of a conflict between its operators, with waste being diverted to landfill. Indaver, headquartered in the Netherlands, operates the Energy from Waste (EFW) NESS facility for the three local authorities that use it – Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray – but is reconsidering its involvement with the project. A spokesperson for Indaver said: 'Indaver can confirm that, due to ongoing issues the company is experiencing in relation to its operations at the Ness waste-to-energy facility in Aberdeen, Scotland, the company is reviewing its future involvement in the project. 'The company will not be providing further comment at this time.' The site has been closed since mid-June, initially for routine maintenance and remains closed for processing new waste. All non-recyclable waste is being sent to a landfill site in Peterhead. A spokesperson from the Aberdeen City Council said: 'Due to an issue between EFW Ness Ltd and its operating sub-contractor, the Ness Energy from Waste facility is currently closed. 'Waste is being diverted to an alternative disposal facility. 'Residents should continue to put their bins out as normal.' The £150m facility can process 150,000 tonnes of waste a year from its three council areas. It's thought the facility could be one of the last incinerators built in Scotland after a temporary ban was placed on building and approving new sites by the Scottish Government in 2022. It's not yet clear when the site will reopen to process non-recyclable waste but it's believed the councils can recoup the costs from sending their waste elsewhere. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
09-07-2025
- Business
- STV News
City's incinerator shut and waste diverted amid row between council and operator
Aberdeen's incinerator is closed because of a conflict between the city council and the site's operator, with waste being diverted elsewhere. Indaver, headquartered in the Netherlands, operates the facility for the three local authorities that use it – Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray – but is reconsidering its involvement with the project. A spokesperson from the Aberdeen City Council said: 'Due to an issue between EFW Ness Ltd and its operating sub-contractor, the Ness Energy from Waste facility is currently closed. 'Waste is being diverted to an alternative disposal facility. 'Residents should continue to put their bins out as normal.' The £150m facility can process 150,000 tonnes of waste a year from its three council areas. It opened formally last year, after lengthy delays. A spokesperson for Indaver said: 'Indaver can confirm that, due to ongoing issues the company is experiencing in relation to its operations at the Ness waste-to-energy facility in Aberdeen, Scotland, the company is reviewing its future involvement in the project. 'The company will not be providing further comment at this time.' It's thought the facility could be one of the last incinerators built in Scotland after a temporary ban was placed on building and approving new sites by the Scottish Government in 2022. It's not yet clear when the site will reopen to process non-recyclable waste. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
What a waste this SNP Government has proved itself to be
Here we are less than six months away from the start of the ban and yet again we are seeing the SNP modus operandi. Make a big announcement of some grand idea, claim to be virtuous by saving the planet, yet don't put the effort in to actually put all the systems in place. It's just like the ferries all over again, although this time it's not the islanders who will be impacted but the English. As Scotland will not have enough incinerators for the next two years according to Ms Martin, 80-100 lorries every day will be heading south to England to go into their landfill. Imagine the impact on the roads, the environment and the cost at doing this, all because the SNP did not make sure that the structures were in place. I can't picture 600,000 tonnes of waste which is how much this will be annually. What I do know is that suddenly our neighbour is of use to the divisive SNP. The minister actually said in the interview that the 'landfill ban is a good thing in terms of reducing emissions, particularly potent methane emissions'. Does she believe that having a landfill ban in Scotland, sending our waste to England to their landfills reduces emissions? Is she really expecting us to believe that? Apparently she also believes the 'positive environmental impact of stopping landfill far outweighs any impact of temporary measures' (ie sending lorries to England). Her spin doctors were working hard when they came up with that line. We will have heavy lorries on the roads, Scottish waste going to landfill in England polluting the environment and the cost of this to the Scottish taxpayer, which she does not mention, all because the SNP has not done the hard graft to get enough capacity to deal with our waste. It's had 14 years to get this right and failed. Jane Lax, Aberlour. • Plans to send waste to England for disposal remind me of the old car sticker that said: 'Keep Scotland tidy, dump your rubbish in England'. This is an area in which we have some considerable skill, in offshoring manufacturing industry to exclude the emissions from our own statistics. Scott Simpson, Bearsden. Read more letters Another problem is looming Despite the fact it has taken the BBC some time to appreciate and understand the effects of the Scottish Parliament's (already-postponed) ban on the landfill of untreated municipal waste at the end of this year, the Disclosure programme on Monday (June 16) highlighted the nub of the problem: in January 2026, Scotland will be generating 600,000-700,000 tonnes of waste that will have to be trucked to England (or further) for disposal. We won't have enough Energy from Waste (EFW) plants to cope, and the prospects of increasing our recycling rates (that have stagnated since 2012) are pretty poor. It was disappointing that the programme makers didn't do some further research into the reasons for this inertia. The options are either to thole umpteen trucks taking Scottish waste to England (or the ports), or postpone the implementation date for the ban (again). If the latter, is that fair on the companies who are currently investing (or have already have invested) heavily in EFW technology in anticipation of the ban? It's yet another example of policy being made up on the hoof with either the waste industry not being consulted or (if it was) its advice being ignored. But there's another problem looming. The Westminster Government is presently consulting on a proposal to unify landfill tax by 2030 by removing the lower rate for inert wastes (soil, rubble etc) that's currently less than 4% of the higher rate (£126.15/tonne). If that happens and Scotland doesn't follow suit, it would create a situation where it could be economically viable to establish new landfills just north of the border for English waste being trucked up here. Cynics might welcome the idea on the grounds that the trucks hauling Scottish municipal waste to England for disposal would then have the opportunity to backload inert waste for the return journey. John Crawford, Preston. Priorities are all mixed up You report that a Treasury Minister, Emma Reynolds, was unable to give either the precise location or the total cost of yet another project in the south-east of England, a dual tunnel under the Thames linking Essex and Kent ("Minister struggles when questioned over new Thames crossing as costs mount", The Herald, June 17). The cost, it seems, will be between £9.2 billion and £10.2bn. This is a cost being borne by all of us, on top of HS2 (now stopping at Birmingham, not Edinburgh), the incredibly expensive nuclear power stations being built in the south, the aircraft carriers and more. Yet, as a nation, we struggle to keep people warm, people housed and children born into families on benefits fed and clothed. We have certainly gone wrong somewhere. Patricia Fort, Glasgow. This pledge is not believable Back in 2007 one of the first things new First Minister Alex Salmond promised was a focus on more efficient government and reform of nine departments of the "executive", 27 executive agencies and the 152 quangos. He added: "I'm not sure we need that complexity for a nation of five million. If you're going to have joined-up government you need less bits to join up." Eighteen years later and one of the relics, or should I say ruins, of that hopeful regime, John Swinney appeared on stage in a gaslit fug of smoke and mirrors to swear he's going to finish the job ("Ministers in plan to save £1bn a year by cutbacks on 'waste'", The Herald, June 17). Where's he getting his inspiration from? The spirit of Alex Salmond or the spectre of Trump, Farage, Reform and DOGE? One thing we can be sure of: it ain't gonna happen on John Swinney's watch. Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven. • I was almost amused to read that, after 18 years in power, the SNP has decided to save £1 billion a year by cutbacks on "waste". A picture of John Swinney with a newly-grown centre parting would have been even more believable. Duncan Graham, Stirling. Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Image: PA) It's time for Hoyle to go I read with incredulity the letter (June 16) from Jackie Storer, Press Secretary to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons. Only a lackey on the Speaker's payroll could write such drivel. Your readers would have to be 'soft in the head" to believe that Sir Lindsay Hoyle has any 'soft power' as an international peace-keeper. He cannot even keep order in the House of Commons and is an international embarrassment. During over a quarter of a century's membership of the House of Commons, I experienced five Speakers: Selwyn Lloyd, George Thomas, Bernard Weatherill, Betty Boothroyd and Michael Martin. The best by far was the only woman to have held that high office, the formidable Betty Boothroyd, who managed to keep order and chair debates with an admirable combination of professionalism, firmness and humour, while ensuring that even the most humble backbencher got a fair kick of the ball. The current Speaker has none of these attributes. I have never met Sir Lindsay Hoyle but I literally kent his faither, Douglas, who began his Westminster career as an extreme left-wing MP but later transmogrified into an Establishment Member of the House of Lords, where his son will no doubt follow him. Since my retirement, I have more than occasionally watched Parliamentary debates on TV and read reports of the current Speaker's conduct at home and abroad. I have come to the conclusion that Sir Lindsay Hoyle is not only incompetent. He is pretentious and profligate: a perfect example of someone who has been promoted above his abilities. In short, he is not fit to lace Betty Boothroyd's boots and it is time for him to go. Dennis Canavan, Bannockburn.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Council to meet to consider controversial planning application
CUMBERLAND Council is set to hold a 'special planning committee' meeting next week to consider a controversial planning application. North-west Regeneration is hoping to develop an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility comprising of a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) fed Gasification Plant with a 23m high flue stack on land in Rockcliffe and has submitted a revised application. Members of the planning committee are due to meet next Friday (June 20) at the Civic Centre in Carlisle to consider the application for a site on land next to the former Unit D on the Kingmoor Park Rockcliffe Estate. The application requests associated synthetic gas fuelled Combined Heat & Power (CHP) generation engines and other associated ancillary equipment, machinery, plant and development including the formation of new hard-surfaced areas and drainage infrastructure; and the erection of a modular office and welfare block building. It is recommended that full planning permission be granted subject to conditions. It states: 'The estate is situated on the south-eastern outskirts of the small village of Rockcliffe. The proposed gasification plant measures approximately 750m from the southern edge of Rockcliffe village and 1km from the northern end of the village of Cargo. 'It lies approximately 2.4km north-west of the north-western perimeter of the built-up area of Carlisle. The outlier suburb of Crindledyke lies approximately 1.2km east-south-east of the site. Beyond this, the nearest residential area of the city is the Kingmoor/Lowry Hill area which lies at least 2.8km south-east from the site.' According to the report EfW is about taking residual waste, such as waste that cannot be recycled, and recovering value from it by turning it into useable forms of energy. It states: 'The gasification technology proposed by this application heats waste at highly elevated temperatures, greater than 1000°C and generally ranging from 1200°C to 1500°C, in order to convert it into a synthetic gas. This gas is then cleaned and combusted in gas fired engines to generate electricity and heat.' The Environment Agency had no objection subject to imposition of a contaminated land condition. Historic England also had no objection and Natural England also had no objection 'subject to appropriate mitigation being secured'. However, Rockcliffe Parish Council has objected to the application on a wide range of grounds across three responses. The points raised included: A lack of information and insufficient assessment within the application package and a call for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); The adverse cumulative impact of this proposal with existing and other proposed waste developments in the area; That the proposal would industrialise the estate and wider area; That the estate has never been designated for industrial commercial processes; Visual impact – consider the development to be too big, too close and insufficiently screened and that it would have an adverse affect on a large area and harm amenity in Rockcliffe village and the surrounding countryside. In addition, they objected to the impact of emissions and discharges and the report states: 'That the plant is potentially toxic, lacks specialist pollution abatement systems and would harm health.' According to the report the application has generated significant public interest. It adds: 'To date 1,218 representations have been received. 'Of these 1,213 are considered to constitute objections, while five provide comments and observations. 775 of the objections take the form of a template letter.' Next Friday's public meeting is due to begin at 10.30am and the application is the only item due for consideration.
