Pioneering Farmer Opens North East's First Compost Plant

A local farmer is set to revolutionise waste management in the North-east with the opening of the area’s first high-tech composting plant.

Charlie Gray, managing director of Gray’s Composting Services in Fordyce, near Portsoy, recently commissioned the North-east’s first advanced ‘in-vessel’ composting system.

This can recycle up to 5,000 tonnes of locally produced waste materials, including wastes from the food industry, into high quality agricultural compost. 

The scheme will bring important benefits to the local area by diverting organic wastes away from landfill, safeguarding jobs and offering financial benefits to commercial waste producers.

When organic waste such as food matter is disposed of to landfill sites, this results in emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The new plant – at Ley Farm, Fordyce - will therefore also help to reduce the region’s contribution to global climate change.

As well as garden waste, the plant can recycle many other types of waste material, including seafood by-products and vegetable trimmings. 

At the moment, much of this type of material is either disposed of outwith the region, or sent to landfill near Peterhead.  In particular, meat by-products which can no longer be legally disposed of to landfill could be sent to the plant, saving them from being transported elsewhere. 

Gray’s Composting Services hopes to offer a local service that allows food waste producers to save money as well as doing their bit to protect the environment. 

Mr Gray said: “It’s taken a lot of hard work to tick all the boxes and get the plant set up with all the necessary licenses and approvals, but we firmly believe it’s been a worthwhile process.

“We can now offer a cost-effective local solution for certain organic wastes, such as shellfish and other food wastes, which until now have posed something of a problem to local businesses. We’re certainly expecting a positive response from amongst the local business community.

“As well as safeguarding at least one job, we hope the plant will also create other employment opportunities.”

Guy Robertson, Project Manager with the Business Environment Partnership North East (BEPNE), which has helped the company to develop the new plant, said it was a first for Aberdeen City and Shire.

“Gray’s Composting Services are leading the way with this important new development,” he said. “Tightening regulations mean that many types of food waste can no longer go to landfill, and require to be exported elsewhere at great cost to the producers.

“Plants such as this offer a competitive alternative, creating local employment and making good use of wasted resources.”

For more information on BEPNE, log on to http://www.bepne.org.uk or contact Guy Robertson on 07703 484309 or email guy@thebep.org.uk