Glasgow Recycling and Renewable Energy Centre (GRREC)

Glasgow City Council handles 350,000 tonnes of waste every year, of which 72% used to be sent to landfill. As landfill tax continues to rise alongside ambitious Scottish Government zero waste targets, the council has been planning for change. These changes are underpinned by waste reduction, re-use, enhanced recycling rates, and recovering renewable energy from residual waste.

Following extensive public consultation in 2012, Glasgow is changing gear with a new, state-of-the-art recycling and sustainable waste management facility at its long-established waste treatment plant at Polmadie. This technology will radically overhaul the way the city’s household waste is managed over the next 25 years.

• Handles 200,000 tonnes of council green bin residual waste every year
• Works in combination with city wide blue, brown and purple bin recycling
• Diverts 90% of green bin residual waste away from landfill, saving millions of pounds
• Releases recyclable resources from household waste
• Produces enough energy to power the equivalent of 26,496 households and heat the equivalent of some 8,000 homes
• Delivers a saving to Glasgow of 90,000 tonnes of CO² every year
• Regenerated the existing Glasgow City Council waste facility at Polmadie, on the South side of the city

Alongside improvements to recycling, an extensive community benefits package has been established. This scheme has created over 250 new jobs, including 17 apprentices, supporting local social enterprises, and small and medium sized businesses throughout the building programme and beyond.