Work has started on Glasgow's new recycling facility with the sorting centre set to open in the city's East End.
The Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Queenslie will open in 2026 and was visited by minister Lorna Slater who got work underway after she broke ground on the site.
It is predicted that the recycling service will lead to more than 10,000 tonnes of extra material being recycled annually – equivalent to the weight of the Eiffel Tower or 3,245 cars off the road for a year.
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Glasgow City Council were awarded a total of £21,202,000 to pay for the enhancements through the Scottish Government’s Recycling Improvement Fund which was confirmed to be the " largest single award from the fund" by the Greens politician.
The minister for green skills, circular economy and biodiversity was joined at the Easter Queenslie site by Zero Waste Scotland’s Head of Resource Management Stuart Murray, and Glasgow City Council’s Convener for Neighbourhood Services and Assets Councillor Ruairi Kelly.
Speaking about being the first to dig at the new site, minister Lorna Slater said: “Breaking ground on an important project like this is evidence of the real impact that our Recycling Improvement Fund is having.
"I am very pleased we have been able to support Glasgow’s ambitions, making it easier for households to recycle and increasing recycling rates.
"This is the largest single award from the fund, and with Glasgow being Scotland’s biggest local authority area, it will make an important contribution to the national recycling picture.
"I look forward to seeing further progress here and throughout Scotland."
The five-year, £70 million fund launched in 2021 and is being administered by Zero Waste Scotland. Its aim is to accelerate progress towards Scotland’s ambitious waste and recycling targets and net zero commitment.
It is one of the biggest single investments by the Scottish Government in recycling infrastructure and is giving local authorities the opportunity to take forward projects that increase both the quality and quantity of recycling whilst delivering wider environmental benefits.
Councillor Kelly went on to add: "It’s great to see our plans for a new recycling facility at Easter Queenslie moving forward.
“Once opened, the new recycling facility will be equipped with the most modern waste management technology available and that will make a massive difference to our efforts to recycle in Glasgow.
“The facility will also go hand-in-hand with the changes to household bin collections we are introducing across the city.
"Having a bin exclusively for paper and card alongside one for all sorts of plastic and metal containers will help to deliver the quality and quantity of material that recycling processors are looking for.
"We are confident our plans will help to support a big improvement in Glasgow recycling rates, which is ultimately good for recycling in Scotland as a whole.”.
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