OLD yoghurt pots have been used to make kitchen tops for the house of the future.

And the public will get the chance to see one of the most environmentally "green" homes ever built in Scotland at an exhibition on the former Ravenscraig steel site.

Zero Waste Scotland will open the doors of a ground-breaking sustainable house at the BRE Innovation Park at Ravenscraig, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.

Public viewings take place on Saturday.

The Resource Efficient House has been constructed to showcase innovative sustainable building techniques and materials used to minimise its impact on the environment.

Guided tours are being organised to enable the curious to view kitchen worktops which appeared to have been fashioned from polished black granite but are actually made from recycled plastics, such as yoghurt pots and vending machine coffee cups.

Recycled paint has also been used while the kitchen bar stools are made from reclaimed wooden whisky barrels.

A "grey water" recycling system uses 'second hand' water from the shower and bath to flush the toilets.

Wood pellets are used in a biomass boiler to provide heating, while solar panels on the roof combine with an air- source heat pump and mechanical ventilation heat recovery system to provide hot water.

Iain Gulland, director of Zero Waste Scotland, said: "The Resource Efficient House offers home buyers, house builders and indeed Scotland an innovative new approach to low cost housing, combining an affordable build and living costs with impressive green credentials.

"We now have a showcase to encourage the industry to design their projects for both domestic and non-domestic customers with efficiency at the foundation."

Tours can be booked in advance online at eventbrite.com and are being organised by Zero Waste Scotland in partnership with Home Energy Scotland.

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk