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Athenry, Co.Galway, Ireland

Athenry Local News

Ireland’s first underground waste system installed in Athenry

The first underground bin system in Ireland has been installed at the Raheen Woods Hotel in Athenry and will be officially launched by Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon Ó Cuív this Friday.

The underground waste system was installed by Galway family business Walsh Waste and has been operating successfully since the hotel opened in June. All types of waste can be put into the system and the Raheen Woods Hotel is already recycling 50 per cent of its waste as a result in less than three months.

Walsh Waste are the agents for the Molok deep collection system, two-thirds of which is located underground. It can also be used as bottle banks for glass and has the added benefit of being much quieter — an issue to be considered when locating bring banks close to residential areas. The system is more attractive than traditional bottle banks and can be changed to help blend in with the local surroundings.

The Ambassador for Finland, Mr. Seppo Kauppila, will make his first visit to Co. Galway when he attends the launch on Friday while Chairman and CEO of MOLOK Finland, Viekko Selli, will also be in attendance.

Gerard Walsh, Sales Manager of Walsh Waste told The Tuam Herald that they are delighted with the way the system has operated since being installed and says there has been huge interest in it. He says that it eliminates the necessity for bin storage areas in apartment blocks and is a neater and cleaner management system for refuse.

“This method of collection has been extensively used on mainland Europe for the last 10 years and its use is growing all the time. The system is suitable across all business sectors including apartments, hotels, shops and offices and can be very easily retrofitted to existing premises,” explained Gerard.

He also explained that as two-thirds of the system is located underground it can take a bigger volume of waste which can be collected less frequently.

Richard Swarbrick, Managing Director of the Raheen Woods Hotel said that the underground waste system has contributed significantly to the overall cleanliness of the service area of the hotel.

“The system has helped us to achieve very high recycling rates and has proven to be a great success. It’s the hotel’s policy to ensure that all waste produced on-site is handled and disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner,” he stated.