A renewable energy plant would be built in the heart of Leith under plans being considered by the new owners of a controversial recycling centre.
Alba Recycling has taken over the Bath Road site and is investigating the possibility of building a biomass power station that would process recycling but also generate energy from waste.
The plant, which would harness gases from the waste to produce electricity, would sell the power generated to the national grid.
There are a number of different types of biomass plants already planned for Scotland, including a wood-fuelled one nearing completion in Lockerbie.
The move comes as it emerged that the site still has no planning permission - two-and-a-half years after the problem was first spotted by council officials.
Local councillors said this issue had to be rectified before any future plans were considered.
Neil Wilson, managing director of Alba Recycling, said: "We know the relationship with the surrounding community requires improving, but we are completely open about what we are doing.
"Sending waste to landfill is expensive, so all waste contractors are looking at other methods, more renewable methods.
"We have two choices when it comes to biomass, either treat and turn our waste into biomass-ready waste or build our own biomass energy plant.
"As you can imagine, the second option is complicated, but it is something we are exploring.
"There are advantages because you are saving waste from landfill and generating clean energy.
"This method is nothing like incineration, it is no more harmful than the composting bin at the bottom of your garden and the beauty is that it is all safely contained on the site."
Mr Wilson said Alba will be opening up its recycling facilities to local residents, who will be able to drop-off anything apart from food or hazardous materials free of charge.
Council chiefs have argued for years that the Bath Road site needs planning permission.
However, both firms have argued that, as the site is owned by Network Rail and some materials are removed by rail, it benefited from development permission granted to railway activities.
Officials have so far failed to take any action because they felt it would not be in the public interest to act, as the facility had not been the subject of complaint.
Gordon Munro, Labour councillor for Leith, said the firm should be sorting out planning permission before thinking any further ahead.
He said: "I think people would be right to be sceptical about this given we have still to sort out the fact they don’t have planning permission.
"It is disappointing that the council don’t want to take action and sort this out given it has been such a big issue in Leith."
The Bath Road facility is licensed to store up to 24,000 tonnes of waste, but Alba insisted they have no plans to handle as much as this.
There was uproar when the News revealed last year that council officials had been in secret talks with previous owner Regenerate Scotland about the plant being a replacement for the councils ageing facility at Powderhall.
Stuart Hay, Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of research, said: "Scottish businesses generate thousands of tonnes of waste each year.
"However, without knowing the detail of what is being proposed it’s difficult to say what benefits there might be for the environment from this scheme.
"What we do know is that businesses could be doing much more to cut the waste they produce."
Alba Recycling has taken over the Bath Road site and is investigating the possibility of building a biomass power station that would process recycling but also generate energy from waste.
The plant, which would harness gases from the waste to produce electricity, would sell the power generated to the national grid.
There are a number of different types of biomass plants already planned for Scotland, including a wood-fuelled one nearing completion in Lockerbie.
The move comes as it emerged that the site still has no planning permission - two-and-a-half years after the problem was first spotted by council officials.
Local councillors said this issue had to be rectified before any future plans were considered.
Neil Wilson, managing director of Alba Recycling, said: "We know the relationship with the surrounding community requires improving, but we are completely open about what we are doing.
"Sending waste to landfill is expensive, so all waste contractors are looking at other methods, more renewable methods.
"We have two choices when it comes to biomass, either treat and turn our waste into biomass-ready waste or build our own biomass energy plant.
"As you can imagine, the second option is complicated, but it is something we are exploring.
"There are advantages because you are saving waste from landfill and generating clean energy.
"This method is nothing like incineration, it is no more harmful than the composting bin at the bottom of your garden and the beauty is that it is all safely contained on the site."
Mr Wilson said Alba will be opening up its recycling facilities to local residents, who will be able to drop-off anything apart from food or hazardous materials free of charge.
Council chiefs have argued for years that the Bath Road site needs planning permission.
However, both firms have argued that, as the site is owned by Network Rail and some materials are removed by rail, it benefited from development permission granted to railway activities.
Officials have so far failed to take any action because they felt it would not be in the public interest to act, as the facility had not been the subject of complaint.
Gordon Munro, Labour councillor for Leith, said the firm should be sorting out planning permission before thinking any further ahead.
He said: "I think people would be right to be sceptical about this given we have still to sort out the fact they don’t have planning permission.
"It is disappointing that the council don’t want to take action and sort this out given it has been such a big issue in Leith."
The Bath Road facility is licensed to store up to 24,000 tonnes of waste, but Alba insisted they have no plans to handle as much as this.
There was uproar when the News revealed last year that council officials had been in secret talks with previous owner Regenerate Scotland about the plant being a replacement for the councils ageing facility at Powderhall.
Stuart Hay, Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of research, said: "Scottish businesses generate thousands of tonnes of waste each year.
"However, without knowing the detail of what is being proposed it’s difficult to say what benefits there might be for the environment from this scheme.
"What we do know is that businesses could be doing much more to cut the waste they produce."
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