What happens to your recycling

We collect mixed recycling from your kerbside, glass and textiles from recycling points and various materials at our recycling centres.

We have contracts with several reprocessing companies who collect these recyclables and transform them into new products and materials. On this page you can view a list of the companies we work with, as well as the items and materials they produce with their services.  

Cardboard

 goes to Saica Natur in Dundee or Croy and Alfa Trading and Consultancy in Glasgow

  Recycled back into packaging and paper products

Cooking oil

 goes to Olleco in Mosstodloch

  Once the cooking oil is unpacked, heated, cleaned and filtered, it is then transported to Olleco’s main plant in Liverpool to be converted into biodiesel 

Engine oil

 goes to Safetykleen in Montrose

 during recycling Cleaned and reused as a grease alternative

Electrical appliances

 goes to Repic for TV's and monitors, small domestic appliances, fridges and freezers, WEEE Solutions in Paisley, for large domestic appliances and Recolight for fluorescent tubes (lamps)

  All appliances are sent to either Shore Recycling Ltd in Perth or WEEE Solutions in Linkwood. They are dismantled and hazardous materials are removed. Recyclable elements on recycling.

Food waste

 goes to Keenan Recycling in New Deer

  Converted into compost, which is used by local agricultural farms 

Garden waste

 goes to Keenan Recycling in New Deer

  Converted into compost, which is used by local agricultural farms 

Gas canisters

  Aire Valley Gas in Bradford

  Remaining gases are disposed of and the metal canisters are recycled 

Glass

 goes to Dryden Aqua in Bonnyrigg, Edinburgh (green and brown glass) and Berryman/URM Glass Recycling in South Kirkby (clear glass) 

  Recycled back into glass containers (Berryman) or used as a replacement product for sand in water filtration units (Dryden Aqua) 

Household batteries

 goes to G and P Batteries in West Midlands

  Batteries are sorted before undergoing a recycling process to recover materials from each battery type. These are converted into a variety of products, including more batteries and materials for the steel industry.

Mixed recycling

 goes to SUEZ Altens East MRF at Aberdeen

  Converted into various new products and materials 

Scrap metal

 Panda Rosa in Aberdeen

 during recycling Bulked together and sent to a foundry in Matlock for reprocessing

Soil, earth and rubble 

 goes to Either Bridgend Sand and Gravel in King Edward, A and M Smith in Portlethen or David Smith in Savoch and Smiddyburn (location dependent on its proximity to the recycling centre)

  All inert soil and stone are screened and recycled into usable soil, topsoil or aggregate

Textiles

  Collected by Salvation Army or Nathan's Wastesavers

  Sorted and sent to charity shops for the public to buy and reuse. Textiles unfit for reuse are converted into cloths or rags for garages or used in soundproofing or mattress fillings.

Vehicle (lead acid) batteries

 goes to Panda Rosa in Aberdeen

  Sent to a foundry in Matlock for reprocessing

Wood waste

 goes to Keenan Recycling Limited in New Deer (north and central Aberdeenshire), SUEZ (south Aberdeenshire)

  Some sold as wood chippings and some used in the composting process of food and garden waste (Keenan). Used as fuel for the RWE Markinch Biomass plant (Suez).