Rehab Recycle’s new state-of-the-art WEEE recycling facility in Ballymount has been officially opened. The new facility has the capacity to process 10,000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment every year. Every year in Ireland an average of 9kg of waste electrical goods is recycled per head of population; this is 3.5kg above the European average.
“The opening of this facility illustrates the expanding range of recycling services that we now offer. Prior to the EU Directive on WEEE which was introduced in 2005, most electrical waste ended up in landfill sites, at considerable cost to the environment. We have the facility to safely handle electrical waste in compliance with waste legislation. The waste is separated into various components before it is moved on for further recycling,” comments Martin Reddy, general manager of Rehab Recycle.
A WEEE product is defined as anything that has a plug or a battery and has come to the end of its useful life. The new facility in Ballymount will recycle a range of WEEE products from business and public amenity sites nationwide, from large items such as washing machines and microwaves to smaller items such as remote controls and electric tooth brushes.
Rehab Recycle is part of Rehab Enterprises, the commercial division of the Rehab Group. Over the last 25 years, Rehab’s recycling operations have developed new and innovative ways of recycling a range of materials throughout Ireland.
Rehab Recycle’s facility in Ballymount was formerly home to glass recycling operations and has recently been transformed into a waste electronic and electrical equipment facility. In addition to this facility, Rehab Recycle also has plants in Tallaght, Galway and Cork, as well as in Eindhoven in The Netherlands. Rehab Recycle is a major resource to both the domestic and commercial sectors in the management of recyclable waste. In addition to collecting from local authority bring sites and recycling parks, Rehab Recycle has agreements with many multinational and large indigenous companies to collect significant volumes of waste products on their behalf.
Rehab Enterprises’ businesses aim to provide sustainable employment opportunities for people with disabilities within commercial environments. Of its 400 strong work-force, more than 200 have disabilities.
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Pictured at the recent official opening of the new Rehab Recycle WEEE facility in Ballymount are: Thomas Millar, operations manager of Rehab Recycle; Leo Donovan, chief executive of WEEE Ireland; County Cllr. Caitríona Jones, Mayor of South Dublin; Martin Reddy, general manager of Rehab Recycle; and Anthony Benney, Rehab Enterprises.