Perth’s Binn Ecopark played host to a peloton of eight riders as it welcomed the cyclists – on pedal and e-bikes – during the fourth stage of the REPIC WEEE Cycle Network event on Monday 5th June 2023.
To mark the 15 year anniversary of the UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations, REPIC, the leading WEEE producer compliance scheme was joined by representatives from the waste management sector and father and son owners of the Binn Group, John and Allan MacGregor, at the start of day four of the 15 day cycling event.
Travelling as far as Edinburgh today (Monday 5th June) a distance of 57 miles from Perth, the REPIC WEEE Cycle Network event is the first event of its kind, that has brought together the wider sector to celebrate the achievements of those involved in the reuse and recycling of waste electricals. In total, the 15 day, 15 location and 15 great stories event, will cover a distance of over 850 miles, from Alness in the Highlands to Sittingbourne, Kent.
Celebrating 15 great stories along the route, and joining up a network of AATFs, Local Authority sites and repair and reuse initiatives, the REPIC WEEE Cycle Network event is also providing an opportunity to look forward to what lies ahead in both the forthcoming WEEE consultation and the transition to a more circular economy.
Logistics are a key part of the delivery of waste recycling services across Scotland. With its proud and growing network across Scotland, REPIC appreciates the significant amount of work required to deliver services to local communities, and Binn Group has played an instrumental role in this, in both collecting waste electricals from Scottish local authority sites and dispatching them onwards to approved treatment facilities across the UK.
Prior to departure, the cyclists enjoyed a vehicle tour of the Binn Ecopark, an establish and growing circular economy focused resource management centre.
The first of its kind facility in Scotland, the Binn Ecopark, the site processes over 300,000 tonnes of waste annually. Binn Group currently employs over 170 employees in its core waste management activities.
The Binn Ecopark will also be developing additional renewable energy capacity, including a solar farm and battery storage system to complement wind generation. Having recently put into operation a new four turbine 9 MW wind farm, the site is focused on becoming one of the most integrated and low carbon resource management facilities in Europe.
In additional, planning consent has recently been secured for an Advanced Plastics Recycling Facility (A-PRF) and a small energy from waste plant.
Louise Grantham, Chief Executive of REPIC, comments: “We’re proud to partner with such a forward thinking, rapidly growing company with strong eco-credentials for our WEEE collections across Scotland. Operating as a trusted partner with shared values and strong customer care at the core of operations has ensure that despite a changing landscape over the last couple of years, we have been fortunate enough with Binn Group’s support to keep products and materials flowing throughout Scotland.”
Jim Brown, Group Commercial Director from Binn Group, continued: “We’re really honoured that the REPIC WEEE Cycle Network took the time out to visit our operations and look forward to continue to seek further opportunities to share learnings and opportunities towards the development and decarbonising of Scotland’s resource management.”
The REPIC WEEE Cycle Network event will conclude on Friday 16th June when the peloton of cyclists pulls into the 15th and final destination in Sittingbourne, Kent around midday. The cyclists will have completed 850 miles across 15 days and raised a total of £15k for local good causes along the way.
