COUNCIL chiefs have signed a new contract that will see tens of thousands of tonnes of waste being diverted from landfill and converted to low-carbon energy each year.

The £700million Clyde Valley Residual Waste Project is a 25-year initiative involving Renfrewshire Council and East Renfrewshire Council, as well as three neighbouring local authorities.

Household waste is taken from each council area to waste management firm Viridor’s base in Bargeddie, North Lanarkshire, and treated to produce a refuse-derived fuel.

It is then transported to the company’s energy recovery hub in Dunbar, East Lothian, where it is burned at high temperatures to produce low-carbon electricity which goes to the national grid.

Garbage being treated through the contract is residual household waste, which cannot be recycled and would otherwise be sent to landfill.

At least 90 per cent of Renfrewshire’s waste will now be transformed into energy.

Councillor Cathy McEwan, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s infrastructure, land and environment policy board, said: “This project will make a significant difference to the level of carbon dioxide we produce by improving the way we deal with our waste.

“Anything that cannot be recycled will now no longer go to landfill and will be transformed into energy instead, making a real difference to our environment and taking our commitment to recycling to a new level.”

Councillor Alan Lafferty, East Renfrewshire’s environment convener, added: “This partnership will make a significant contribution to managing household waste more effectively, so we are delighted to be part of it, along with our neighbouring authorities.

“This will reduce the overall carbon impact associated with waste disposal.”

Read all the latest from Barrhead and beyond