Aberdeen City Council has completed a £16m environmental project to clean-up and restore the former Ness landfill site.

The project took four years to complete.

The restoration work was carried out by resource and recycling company SITA UK, which was appointed by the local authority to prevent the site from becoming an environmental hazard.

Ness landfill is situated on the southern edge of Aberdeen and occupies a former sand and gravel quarry.

Over a period of 30 years, approximately three million tonnes of waste from local homes and businesses were disposed of on the land.

Following the signing of a 25-year waste management services contract in July 2000, Aberdeen City Council appointed SITA UK to clean up and restore the site.

A remediation plan, believed to be the single largest restoration project in Scotland, was developed in conjunction with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and came into effect in 2009.

This followed six years of extensive testing to monitor and assess pollution from the former facility. Central to the restoration work has been the installation of an impermeable cap to seal the site and prevent rainwater from percolating through the waste where it would pick up contaminants and pollute groundwater. The contaminated water is known as leachate and systems have also been installed to collect existing leachate within the site, allowing levels to be controlled and pollution minimised. The installation of a surface water collection and management system is also helping to control water flow on the 500,000 square metre site, to prevent flooding.

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Capping the site has also controlled the escape of landfill gas which is now being collected to determine whether it can be used to generate electricity. In addition, extensive landscaping works have been undertaken to improve the visual aspect of the area by restoring it to open grassland and helping it blend in with the surrounding environment.

Elsewhere, access improvements have been made on the publicly accessible parts of the site, which have fantastic views over the city and beyond. New paths have been constructed and a leaflet has produced highlighting the history and ecology of the area.

Councillor Neil Cooney, Convener of Housing and Environment at Aberdeen City Council said: "Aberdeen City Council has had to commit significant funds to address the legacy of landfill.

"While we are proud of the outcome - a major project delivered on time and under budget - this site is a clear example of why we must move away from landfill.

"Leaving unknown environmental legacies for future generations should be a thing of the past and we urge everyone to play their part by recycling where they can and supporting our efforts to develop a combined heat and power facility to gain value rather than future costs from non-recyclable waste."

(JP/CD)