Brewster Bros, a family-run business in Livingston, Scotland, is opening what it claims to be the largest recycling plant in the UK. The plant, featuring a CDE state-of-the-art wet processing system, will provide waste management services and recycled aggregates to builders, construction companies, concrete product producers, ground workers, civil contractors and utility contractors from its new high-tech facility in Scotland’s central belt.
Investment in the £3.8m recycling centre includes a £2.1m spend on high efficiency CDE equipment, with a capacity to recycle 400,000 tonnes of construction, demolition and excavation waste per year. The firm says the new facility supports the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Strategy ‘Making Things Last’, which aims to secure 70% recycling of construction and demolition waste by 2020.
The plant can process and recycle soils and rubble collected by Brewster Bros’ fleet of tipper lorries from construction sites into high value sand and gravel – reducing waste disposal costs for Brewster Bros’ customers while maximising waste recovery. The wet processing system was specifically designed to process difficult construction and demolition waste materials and optimise material recovery.
Brewster Bros is an accredited supplier of Zero Waste Scotland’s Aggregate Quality Protocol Directory.
The company takes over from an established family-run recycling business, Henry Gillies. Thanks to increased investment, Brewster Bros forecasts an annual turnover of £3m at the plant, which will boost the local economy and provide further job opportunities on top of all 20 job roles retained from the previous owner.
Scott Brewster, Director at Brewster Bros, said:
“It’s an exciting day as we officially launch the UK’s largest recycling facility of this type. Our number one aim is to treat and recycle construction and demolition waste as a resource, ensuring zero waste to landfill.
“Through significant investment into state-of-the-art recycling techniques provided by the plant supplier CDE, we are looking forward to shaping the future of the recycling industry across Scotland and beyond. This new plant should act as a game-changer for the construction industry, by saving money for our customers and ensuring they can dispose of their construction and demolition waste in a cost-effective and sustainable way.”
David Kinloch, CDE Regional Manager UK & Ireland, said:
“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Brewster Bros to create a construction, demolition and excavation waste recycling plant bespoke, to their site and production requirements.
This large-scale facility incorporates the latest CDE technology and will be a flagship project in Scotland. We wish Brewster Bros every success as they champion the move towards zero waste and embrace the circular economy and look forward to a continued strong partnership in the years to come.”
Stephen Boyle, Strategic Programme Manager for Construction, Zero Waste Scotland, said:
“In Scotland the construction sector is responsible for producing nearly half of the country’s waste, and recycling construction and demolition material has a key role to play in minimising that.
“By recycling, we can keep materials out of landfill and in high-value use for longer, reducing the need to quarry finite virgin material and helping the environment. But what the launch of the Brewster Bros recycling plant shows is that by recycling effectively we can also generate investment and create new jobs, which is great news for Scotland.”
Linda Scott, Chair of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce, said:
“Brewster Bros is focussed on being the industry leader in terms of how construction waste recycling looks, not only now but also in the future. This plant is the largest of its type in the UK and it is a great indicator of their commitment.
“It’s fantastic to hear about the future economic benefits this plant will bring to the local area and we are delighted that Henry Gillies is being taken over by another family-oriented organisation that will not only save jobs for local residents, but also create future employment opportunities.”
Derek Carmichael, Transport Manager at Brewster Bros, who worked under the previous ownership said:
“It’s exciting to be a part of this new chapter and it is great news for the local area and the workforce to see this new plant open and carry on supporting the construction industry in the central belt with sustainable and forward-thinking recycling.
“We’re focussed on making giant strides when it comes to the future of waste recycling for the construction and we are thrilled to be a major part of this journey.”
All recycled materials from the plant will come with a UKAS accredited quality certification and conform to the requirements for the BREEAM Sustainability Assessment Method for Construction.
