The project, which is the first of its kind in the UK, will solve Scotland’s waste tyre problem and create over 100 jobs for the local area.
A notice of Pre-application has been submitted to Renfrewshire council, informing planners of the intent to build a ground-breaking tyre processing plant in Linwood (Renfrewshire), Scotland.
The first of its kind in the UK, the plant will be built by SSH Recycling Ltd. and is intended to solve the entirety of Scotland’s waste tyre problem, using revolutionary new technology to recycle or reuse every component part of the tyre. Currently, much vulcanised rubber such as tyres cannot be effectively recycled. This means that tyres often end up scarring the landscape in piles or being exported to be burned elsewhere in the world at enormous carbon cost. When tyres are recycled, this tends to be into lower value products such as crumb, aggregate or Tyre Derived Fuel.
SSH’s process will be the first in the UK to support the devulcanisation of treated rubber. In so doing, it will open up a far wider range of potential applications for the recycled tyres, for example synthetic rubber sheet, conveyor belts, shoe soles or rubber mats.
In total, is expected that 11.6 million commercial and passenger tyres will pass through the processing plant each year.
It is estimated this will save more than 190,000 tonnes of carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere every year, helping Scotland to drastically cut its carbon emissions and reach its goal of becoming a Zero Waste Nation.
In keeping with their Environmental Goals, SSH Recycling have opted to use state of the art micro turbines for power and heat generation. These represent a watershed energy management solution, addressing the need to preserve the environment through near-zero emissions.
The scheme is also expected to bring over 100 FTE construction and processing jobs to the local area, with a total investment of £75million for the West of Scotland.
Robert Keay, Director of Operations, at SSH Recycling said:
“We are hugely excited to be submitting plans to build this tyre processing plant in Linwood, which if successful will bring over 100 new jobs to the area at a time of high unemployment and economic uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In Scotland, over 100 tyres are turned into waste every 15minutes, creating a waste tyre problem that can lead to both legal and illegal dumping of tyres, and the exportation tyres to be burned abroad at a significant carbon cost. Our proposed processing plant will solve this problem, using a ground-breaking system that will see every part of the waste tyre broken down to be recycled or reused. We are looking forward to playing a leading role in helping Scotland’s circular economy thrive, while protecting the environment and driving the country towards being a Zero Waste Nation”.
