New drinks recycling plant would create 29 jobs

The bulking station will be built at Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate on the outskirts of Kelso.

A drinks container recycling plant which will create 29 new jobs is starting to take shape after a new planning bid was submitted.

Biffa Waste Services has been awarded a prestigious contract to run a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland with the aim of making the country a “cleaner, greener place”.

In October last year, High Wycombe-based Biffa was awarded a certificate of lawfulness from Scottish Borders Council to operate a bulking station on land south of HE Builders at Carlaw Road on the Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate in Kelso.

Kelso Bulking Station is to be used to bulk recyclable bottles and cans that have been collected from establishments in the area registered with the scheme, prior to transportation to a counting centre that will be developed in Grangemouth.

The bulking station will handle approximately 4,700 tonnes of material each year and the scheme will include all single use drink containers manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, metal and glass and will cover both alcoholic and soft drinks.

Now a new planning application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council to establish on the site a pit-mounted weighbridge, a weighbridge office, a covered glass storage bay, the installation of a 2.4m high fence and provision of perimeter lighting and double gates.

A report submitted with the application says: “The bulking station would result in significant job creation as Biffa estimate the facility would generate up to 29 full-time jobs on site.

“The jobs would range from shop floor operators, drivers, office staff to logistics personnel which Biffa would seek to fill locally.

“It is important to Biffa that as many positions as possible are filled locally and as a result of comprehensive training would take place, thereby improving the skills within the local workforce with career progression opportunities available within Biffa.

“The DRS programme not only reduces Scotland’s reliance on plastics, metal and glass manufactured from virgin materials, but also directs these materials away from disposal whilst reducing Scotland’s reliance on fossil fuels and reducing C02 emissions.”