A new £1.5million Ash Recycling plant was officially opened in Renfrewshire this week.

The innovative facility in Paisley from Enva, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading recycling and resource management companies, will treat up to 20,000 tonnes of fly ash from biomass and Energy from Waste facilities.

The ash would previously have been disposed of at landfill sites but will now be washed to remove contaminants and then combined with other materials to create a sustainable, concrete product.

Cutting the ribbon at a special opening ceremony was Mhairi Black, MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

The Gazette:

She said: “Enva’s ash recycling plant showcases how Scottish businesses are innovating and driving the development of the circular economy.

"In addition to the clear environmental benefits, investment in these sustainable technologies creates jobs and helps to support local economies.

"This is only the start of the journey and I look forward to seeing how this exciting facility develops over the coming months and years.”

Enva will operate the new plant in partnership with Anglo Scottish Concrete Holdings (ASCH) a long-established concrete and aggregate supply company.

The Gazette:

Speaking of their mission Enva’s CEO, Tom Walsh, said: “The environmental benefits of recycling fly ash are compelling.

"Every tonne of recycled aggregate produced by this plant reduces demand for quarried materials by the same amount and working with ASCH can offset 200-300kg of virgin material in every tonne of concrete manufactured.

"In addition to the clear benefits of reducing waste to landfill the use of this recycled product enables construction companies to utilise secondary resources with comparable characteristics and qualities to those of virgin materials."

Enva is headquartered in Glasgow with over 1600 employees and 20,000 customers across the Uk and Ireland.

For more information on Enva click here.