State closer to landfill target

IRELAND has edged closer to meeting its EU reduced landfill targets with AES Bord na Móna yesterday taking over the domestic waste disposal services of Kildare County Council (KCC).

The state’s commitment to divert 80% of all waste from landfill by 2014 will be boosted when AES distributes its waste-segregating “Brown Bins” throughout Kildare. This move will see AES Bord na Móna now providing a range of waste management and recycling services to over 80,000 homes across Ireland, in addition to the commercial services provided to over 5,000 businesses across the country.

AES Bord na Móna already employs over 350 people — over 150 in the Kildare area — and this recent success will add another estimated 25 people to the organisation, primarily in customer service and collection services.

Tom Walsh, director of Resource Recovery at Bord na Móna, said: “At AES Bord na Móna we are committed to the environment and have set ourselves a target to divert 80% of our waste from landfill by 2014.

“This will have a huge environmental benefit and will help Ireland move a step closer to meeting its EU Landfill Directive obligations.”

AES is one of the top three waste management and recycling companies in Ireland, reporting turnover growth in 2011 of 11.5% to €56.4 million. AES has already spent €6m developing an innovative organic and food waste composting plant in Drehid, North Kildare.

This facility opens for business in October 2011 and will process over 25,000 tons of household brown bin and other food and organic waste — enough capacity to serve the needs of over 100,000 households each year.