Hundreds oppose waste depot plan

Rubbish would be compacted before being sent to landfill

A plan to build a giant waste transfer depot in Edinburgh has met with fierce local opposition.

The consultation on the £7m scheme for Portobello comes to an end on Friday, with a decision due next year.

Edinburgh City Council has already received 500 letters against the proposals to compact waste at the site before it is transferred to landfill.

Viridor, the company behind the plan, said they were confident any issues had been addressed.

The wast management company wants to build a transfer station in the former Freightliner terminal in Portobello.

Waste services

Under the proposals, rubbish from Edinburgh would be delivered to the site where it would be compacted and sent to landfill near Dunbar by rail.

Local councillor Maureen Childs said the proposed site is on the edge of a residential area.

"It's within 50 metres of 50 properties that will be severely affected in terms of noise, smell vermin, light pollution from the flood lights," she said.

Diana Cairns, spokeswoman from PONGS (Portobello Opposes the New Garbage Site), believes the proposals would bring misery to local people.

She said: "Viridor's plans are to bring up to 350,000 tonnes of waste from all over the Lothians.

"According to Viridor's own figures, they think there will be almost 1,000 lorries a day in and out of the site."

A spokesman for Viridor said: "We are confident that any issues raised have been addressed either through the ongoing consultation or in the application itself.

"We are committed to continuing this dialogue and working with the local community to deliver essential waste services to Edinburgh householders and businesses"

Edinburgh City Council said they were unable to comment until a decision had been made on the application.