Monday 21 May 2007

Thorntons Recycling opens largest indoor composting facility in Ireland

Ireland's largest fully-enclosed commercial composting facility has been officially opened in Co. Meath by Thorntons Recycling.

Kilmainhamwood Compost - the purpose-built state-of-the-art facility will produce Class 1 compost for use in Ireland's agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Thorntons Recycling, one of Ireland's most successful recycling companies, has invested €6 million to build the country's largest indoor composting facility. The company has installed the most advanced technologies and environmental systems at Kilmainhamwood Compost, which will process 20,000 tonnes of biodegradable material annually.

"Kilmainhamwood Composting is an important addition to Ireland's recycling infrastructure and will play a key role in helping local authorities in the North-East region achieve their recycling targets" - said Gary Brady, managing director, Thorntons Recycling. "As a country, we need to identify alternative solutions to landfill and commercial composting is an environmentally-friendly solution which also protects our peat bogs. Grade 1 compost from a facility like Kilmainhamwood Compost will be an alternative to peat-based composts currently on the market."

Kilmainhamwood Compost is fully licensed by the EPA and the Department of Agriculture. The facility employs 6 people directly and uses many services from local industry. Earlier this year, Thorntons Recycling invested over €1 million in an end-of-life vehicle recycling facility in Dublin.

"Thorntons Recycling is one of Ireland's longest established recycling companies - and these investments are critical to our strategy of becoming Ireland's largest integrated recycling company. We are committed to investing in both new and existing facilities and this latest investment positions Thorntons Recycling at the forefront of Ireland's recycling industry" - Brady added.

Established by Padraig and Carmel Thornton in 1979, Thorntons Recycling currently employs over 270 people at its recycling centres in Dublin, Kildare and Meath.

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