Proposals to secure a dedicated facility for processing household rubbish through the Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian project are continuing after three bidders were invited to submit detailed plans.

FCC Medio Ambiente SA, Urbaser and Viridor Waste Management were invited to submit detailed proposals by next month.

The development follows the recent announcement that a long-term solution for treating food waste from homes in each of the two councils has been secured.

Procuring these facilities will add to the efforts of the local authorities to increase recycling, with a dramatic reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfill and the generation of low-carbon, renewable heat and electricity.

For the submissions, each bidder must provide detailed information about its proposed pre-treatment facility, which must be located at the project site near Millerhill, in Midlothian. This facility will separate out any remaining marketable recyclables and produce a fuel for an Energy from Waste facility, which can be either onsite at Millerhill or offsite at a location of the bidders’ choosing. An Energy from Waste facility would produce heat and electricity from the non-recyclable waste.

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After evaluating the proposals, the successful bidders will enter into final competitive dialogue with the Zero Waste Project Team. They will then be invited to submit final bids and a Preferred Bidder will be chosen.

Councillor Jim Orr, Environment Vice-Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "The City of Edinburgh Council is committed to pursuing more environmentally-friendly and sustainable ways of dealing with our waste, and I welcome this development.

"We are making great strides in increasing our recycling, but we recognise that a lot more work is needed to reduce the amount of waste that we send to landfill.

"This project, along with our ongoing efforts at the kerbside, is aimed at eventually reducing the amount of waste which ends up buried in a landfill site from more than 50% to less than 5%."

It is expected that the residual waste treatment contract will be awarded in 2014, with the facilities operational in 2017.

(JP)