A PUBLIC exhibition outlining plans for a new facility which could recycle thousands of tonnes of plastic will take place online.

Applicants submitting plans to East Lothian Council for large developments are obliged to host a public exhibition so residents can look at the early proposals.

Viridor Waste Management Limited had intended to hold a drop-in exhibition at Dunbar’s Bleachingfield Centre yesterday (Thursday) to outline the proposed plastics recycling facility (PRF).

The new building would be created beside the Dunbar Energy Recovery Facility (ERF), which opened at Oxwellmains last year.

However, with social gatherings restricted, the developer has taken the unusual step of instead holding a virtual exhibition, which will be live from today (Friday).

A spokesman said: “Our plans are designed to help Scotland deliver its ambitious climate change and circular economy targets.

“Scotland’s goal is to ensure that recyclable materials consumed here are retained within a Scottish circular economy. To achieve this, Scotland will need companies like us to invest in recycling infrastructure, such as the facility we are proposing.

“Dunbar represents an excellent opportunity to locate a new plastics reprocessing plant that will draw on the low-carbon heat and power generated by our Dunbar ERF.

“In this way, the country would be able to achieve both its resource and energy efficiency goals.

“In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are unable to host public meetings to discuss these plans with the community, and so will be offering a virtual exhibition for residents and stakeholders.”

Pippa Swan, chairwoman of Dunbar Community Council, felt there were downsides to an online consultation.

She said: “It is a major development and they have to have a public consultation.

“The big downside is a significant percentage do not have access to the internet or do not know how to use online portals and it will exclude people from voicing an opinion if feedback is only taken online.

“At this current time, it is the best that they can do.”

The exhibition will allow people to see early stages of the plans for the facility, which would return about 85,000 tonnes of plastics per year to be re-manufactured.

According to documents sent out to community councils neighbouring the site, the proposed development would be made up of four main parts: plastics washing, plastics feed stock store, process building, and waste treatment and heat exchanger building.

A letter to East Lothian Council in support of the scheme noted that the PRF would be “a significant energy consumer, requiring heated water to clean the plastics and electricity to power the recycling process”.

It continues: “The ERF generates both these sources of energy and both can be captured for use in the recycling operation, which represents a significant benefit of co-locating these two activities. A back-up boiler will be provided, for occasions when the ERF is not operational, which will be for between two to three weeks a year for routine and unplanned maintenance.

“The heat exchangers will allow the capture of heat from the ERF process for use in the plastics recycling process.”

Any bid to take the development forward would require Viridor to submit a formal planning application to East Lothian Council, when members of the public would get the chance to object or back the proposals.

The exhibition can be accessed by going to viridor.consultationonline.co.uk

Viridor has provided the option for residents to request paper copies of the plans via telephone (0800 298 7040) or email (feedback@consultation-online.co.uk) as well as to provide feedback this way.