Over 150 people attended a series of public exhibitions in Strathmiglo, Glenfarg and Abernethy to find out more about SITA UK's plans for a gasification facility at Binn Farm landfill site, near Perth.
Leading recycling and waste management company SITA UK held the events to provide local residents and representatives from a range of organisations with details about its proposal to Perth and Kinross Council outlining its plans for a waste gasification plan at Binn Eco Innovation Park.
The company hosted the events to explain its proposal and give people a chance to comment before an application is submitted to the Council later in the year.
Following an extremely busy three days, Martin Cracknell, Strategic Development Manager for SITA UK in Scotland said: "The exhibitions were very well attended and we are grateful that so many people took the time to come and find out more about our proposals. On the whole feedback was fairly positive and people were keen to find out more about the technology involved.
"Not surprisingly, there is a great deal of local interest in what is now being proposed and I hope we have given people a clearer idea of what we hope to achieve if the application is successful. We have been open and transparent about the plan and hopefully managed to answer all the questions that were asked.
"We will continue talking to people who are interested in our plans over the coming weeks and will take on board all the comments and feedback we receive before submitting our full application later this year."
The new proposal is for a gasification facility that will deal with 60,000 tonnes of waste each year. This will be made up of municipal waste (what is left in black bags after recycled materials have been removed) and business waste. The majority of this waste will come from Perth and Kinross, with some from nearby local authority areas. The waste will be processed with a technology that provides a clean and efficient conversion to electrical power and heat.
It forms part of wider plans to develop the Binn Eco Innovation Park. Led by Binn Skips Ltd, the Park would also include other sustainable waste treatment facilities and clean technology businesses.
The waste gasification plant will require planning approval from Perth and Kinross Council and a waste permit from SEPA before it can operate.
Should the application be successful, the gasification facility will replace plans for a 60,000 tonne per annum energy-from-waste incineration facility, which was granted permission by Perth and Kinross Council in September 2007.