Set for completion in 2025, the €35 million plant aims to support Ireland’s circular economy by processing residual materials for recycling and reuse, as opposed to exporting overseas.
The plant, operated by Beauparc, will be located at the Knockharley waste management complex on the outskirts of Dublin.
The project will create around 150 jobs over the course of the building process, and will employ 15 staff members once operational.
Due to process around 120,000 tonnes of ash that remains after the combustion of residual waste at the DWTE facility in Poolbeg. This will enable the extraction of ferrous and non-ferrous metals for recycling and provides an opportunity to produce secondary aggregates for local construction, reducing the reliance on the mining of virgin resources.
Encyclis and Beauparc have said that what with aggregates derived from bottom ash not currently approved for use in Ireland, they hope that the restriction may be reviewed. They are said to be discussing the regulations to maximise the utilisation of existing resources from the circular economy.
To cover the period during construction, Encyclis has signed an interim agreement with Irish waste management company, Panda, part of the Beauparc group, to manage the bottom ash from the DWTE facility.
‘Much more value’
Owen Michaelson, chief executive officer of Encyclis, said: “To achieve a more circular economy, we must maximise the utilisation of existing resources and reduce our reliance on mining virgin resources. For both environmental and economic reasons, it’s important that Ireland has the ability to manage, process and make best use of its own waste by recovering valuable resources from it.”
Brian McCabe, chief executive officer of Beauparc said: “Beauparc is, at its core, a circular economy business, as we extract resource value from materials that are discarded. This significant investment will not only allow us to generate much more value from the ash that is produced by the Dublin waste-to-energy facility, but also offers the potential to reuse waste material to create aggregates for use in the construction sector. As Ireland’s leading waste management company, Beauparc is committed to investing across its extensive portfolio of businesses to deliver better environmental outcomes and greater efficiencies.”
Kieran Mullins, project director of Dublin Waste to Energy said: “The development of an on-island solution to treat residual bottom ash is a welcome addition to Ireland’s waste management infrastructure. We are delighted that there will be a more sustainable solution to the recovery and reuse of bottom ash, which will help Ireland reach its circular economy targets. In addition, it enhances Ireland’s ability to manage its own waste and not rely on other countries in Europe to do so for us.”
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