Up to 60 jobs are being created in Aberdeen as part of a £7.7m Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) project.
DRS logistics services partner Biffa is investing in the transformation of a former engineering depot on the Badentoy Industrial Estate into a recycling centre.
The site will form part of a network of facilities across Scotland that will count, sort and bale billions of drinks containers collected through the scheme. The material will then be sold to be recycled back into new bottles and cans.
Work on the Aberdeen site started earlier this month, with equipment due to be installed from April. Work is expected to be completed by May ahead of the launch of DRS in August.
Around 60 jobs will be created at the new Biffa facility, from multi-skilled operatives and drivers, to administrators, supervisors and managers. Recruitment for managerial positions has already started, with other roles due to be advertised from March.
Biffa’s DRS operations director Gavin Money said: “Working closely with the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland, we’re progressing well with the exciting and ambitious plans for the launch of DRS in Scotland, which will see new recycling infrastructure developed across the country.
“Aberdeen will play a key role as a regional collection and counting hub, handling some of the billions of plastic, glass and metal drinks containers collected each year from across Scotland.”
Circularity Scotland chief executive David Harris said: “The Porthleven site will be the first of several centres across Scotland that will support local economies and play a central role in delivering this ground-breaking initiative.
“The development of the site is further evidence of the progress being made as we prepare for the scheme to go live in August.”
From 16 August, all drinks producers and everyone selling single-use drinks containers is required to take part in the DRS. A refundable 20p deposit will apply to all single-use PET plastic, aluminium, steel or glass drinks containers, ranging in size from 50ml to three-litres.
People will be able to return their bottles and cans to thousands of shops across Scotland. Some venues will accept items over the counter, while larger stores, shopping centres and transport hubs will operate automatic collection points known as reverse vending machines.
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