Glasgow Queenslie waste depot set for major revamp in bid to boost recycling

Glasgow City Council is planning to redevelop its Easter Queenslie waste depot.
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A major revamp of a Glasgow City Council waste depot which is a “vital part” of plans to improve recycling has been given the go ahead.

Council planners have approved the redevelopment of the Easter Queenslie site. It will support efforts to “expand the range of materials that can be recycled through domestic bins”.

The project, scheduled for completion in 2027, will include a new material recovery facility, which would handle items such as plastic containers, bottles, cans, paper and cardboard.

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Plans stated the redevelopment of Easter Queenslie depot comes as the result of a “strategic review of the council’s operational depots identifying this location as a key site for the city’s waste management and recycling”.

They added that, in line with evolving government legislation, there is a “need to readdress how the city deals with waste and commit to an efficient and inclusive way of managing waste recycling”.

A council spokesman said: “The new materials recycling facility at Easter Queenslie is a vital part of our plans for improving recycling in Glasgow and is being backed by substantial investment from the council and the Scottish Government.

“The new facility will support ongoing efforts to expand the range of materials that can be recycled through domestic bins the city, but will also include a new household waste recycling centre and an improved depot for staff.

“Once complete the new materials recycling facility will use advanced technology to separate recyclable materials that will ensure high quantities of quality material can go forward for recycling.

“This will substantially boost Glasgow’s recycling rate and provide the city with the best possible return in the market for recycling.”

The depot, developed in the 1950s, is within the Easter Queenslie industrial estate, and the existing staff accommodation has “defects typical with a building of its age”. Unions have previously raised concerns about the state of the current facilities.

Following the refurbishment, staff are expected to “benefit from comfortable and up to date facilities”, the plans stated, with “dedicated recreational spaces in addition to a quiet room and the option for private changing”.

“Office accommodation will be bright and open plan with dedicated breakout rooms and training facilities,” they added.

“Robust operational facilities will enable Glasgow to meet its challenging recycling targets and ensure that the city becomes an exemplar for the management of recycling and waste, with Easter Queenslie as a centre of environmental excellence.”

Community and school groups will also be able to visit to “learn about recycling and how waste in the city is managed”.

Blue bin recycling is currently processed at Blochairn but council officials previously reported the plant is “ageing” and would “not be effective” in processing the “changing composition” of materials.

They said a new facility would be “incorporated into the wider re-development of the council’s Easter Queenslie complex”.

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