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Greenstar, Ireland’s largest waste management company, has
announced (12 May) a €20 million redevelopment of its Materials
Recycling Facility (MRF) in Bray, Co. Wicklow.
The investment will see the facility divert 135,000 tonnes
of waste from landfill every year and brings Greenstar’s investment
in the waste sector to €275 million over the past seven years.
The state-of-the-art Commercial and Industrial (C&I;) waste
line is now fully automated and able to process ten different
types of recyclable materials - including paper, cardboard,
plastics, wood, stone and metals. This will increase recycling
rates from 42 per cent to 70 per cent for C&I; waste. It will
also have the ability to recycle 95 per cent of Construction
and Demolition (C&D;) waste. This type of waste currently accounts
for 55 per cent of all waste generated in Ireland, but only
36 per cent of the non-stone and soil fraction of this waste
was recycled nationally in 2006 - the latest year for which
data is available - down from 43 per cent in 2005.
The facility also features a new automated Dry Mixed Recyclables
(DMR) line, which will process 25,000 tonnes of commercial
and household green bin waste per annum. Best-in-class technology
allows automated separation of materials - including aluminium
and steel cans, paper, cardboard, plastics and steel. This
permits 90 per cent recovery rates and a higher quality of
material at the end of the process.
€3.5 million of the investment went towards the construction
of a new ‘green‘ office for the facility’s 130 staff.
Energy-efficient innovations include -
- the installation of solar panels to heat the building’s
water
- a natural gas engine to power the air conditioning system
- and
- the use of materials recovered from C&D; waste in the
foundations of the building.
In addition, a combined heat and power plant (CHP) will generate
electricity and thermal energy for the building in a single,
integrated system.
Commenting, Steve Cowman, CEO of Greenstar, said - “This
investment is an important part of our strategy of ensuring
that all our facilities use the best available technologies
to ensure maximum recovery rates and operational efficiencies.
It will be of benefit to our business customers who are very
focused on the environment and their waste compliance - helping
them to meet their environmental targets and lower costs.
"This continuing investment by Greenstar is going someway
towards addressing the country’s critical lack of waste infrastructure.
However, if Ireland is serious about meeting its EU waste
targets before the looming 2010 deadline, then the Government
needs to create the right regulatory environment to encourage
investment in alternative, viable technologies such as Mechanical
Biological Treatment (MBT).
"Greenstar has earmarked over €100m for investment in
MBT in the next three years - if the Government acts, so too
will the private sector.”
The expanded facility was officially opened on Monday 12
May by Minister Dick Roche, T.D. for Wicklow. The facility
will accept waste from the Greater Dublin area. It meets all
EPA requirements and will be operated to the highest standards
of international and environmental best practice.
For more information on Greenstar - Click
Here
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