Moray Council: Plans stall on new Elgin recycling centre

A new recycling centre for Elgin has been put on the back burner.

Funds of £800,000 were set aside to buy land in or around the town to replace the site at Chanonry.

But that money has been removed from Moray Council’s capital plan.

This follows two failed applications to the Scottish Government Recycling Improvement Fund.

The issue was brought up at a meeting of the council's corporate committee on Tuesday.

Cllr Graham Leadbitter (Elgin South, SNP) asked whether the project should stay in the plan so that other funding options could be explored.

However Rhona Gunn, the council's deputy chief executive, replied: "It’s viewed as highly unlikely that a further bid would be successful, which creates a challenge in terms of the capital cost of securing a site for a new waste recycling centre.

"What is currently available are small grants through the infrastructure fund, but nothing of the scale that would be required to provide an alternative site."

Mrs Gunn added that council officers were continuing to look at options, keeping in mind the local authority’s financial position.

It's said that around £20 million of savings need to made over the next two years to balance the budget.

A new site has been sought for years to replace Chanonry which is cramped and near the main A96 road.

To help staff manage the traffic safely an online booking system was introduced during the pandemic, then later made permanent.

A new site would give a charity the opportunity to run a service where people can drop off furniture and other items to be sold on.

The social enterprise Waste Busters runs a similar operation at the recycling centre in Forres.

Speaking after the meeting, cllr Leadbitter felt residents in Elgin and across Moray were aware of the need to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste.

He said: "It’s disappointing that the funding bid to support a new household waste recycling centre was unsuccessful on this occasion, resulting in the project being on hold.

"There may be future funding opportunities to enable a much-needed expanded new recycling centre."

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