Anger at £150m power plant plan 

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David Leask Investigations Reporter, Herald

Share 30 Nov 2011

GLASGOW City Council last night unveiled plans for a £150 million plant to turn rubbish into power amid protests from environmental campaigners.

The council is set to strike a 25-year deal with waste giant Viridor to process up to 200,000 tonnes of household rubbish at a major “recycling and renewable energy” complex in Polmadie. 

The deal will create 250 jobs and is expected to be sealed next month. It comes as councils in Scotland face huge rises in environmental landfill taxes and struggle to hit recycling targets.

Leader Gordon Matheson yesterday said: “This facility is part of the next generation of sustainable infrastructure. It will end the city’s reliance on expensive and unpopular landfill.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland and other environmental groups slammed Mr Matheson’s green credentials. They believe such “energy-from-waste” plants – while different from the 1970s’ toxic incinerators – give local authorities a licence to fail on recycling. 
Green leader Patrick Harvie said: “This is just a rebranded incinerator, which will still lead to pollution.”