O Cuiv inaugurates underground waste collection system in Galway

A Galway family business has installed the State's first underground waste-collection system, a method which is already used extensively throughout mainland Europe.

The Molok deep waste-collection system was officially inaugurated by Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív yesterday.

Compared to traditional horizontal waste-collection systems, the vertical design of the Molok means that only 40 per cent of the bin container is visible above ground, with the remaining 60 per cent installed to a depth of 1.5 metres. A key advantage of the vertical design is that gravity forces the waste to compact itself.

Each bin is covered with a plastic lid and fitted with a heavy-duty liner which is lifted out of the container by a special machine and emptied into the Walsh Waste refuse collection truck.

Walsh Waste installed its first underground bin system in the newly opened Raheen Woods Hotel in Athenry in June and has since installed the Molok system in a number of other local premises, including the Aishling Court apartments in Renmore, Galway.

The system is suitable for all types of waste and has helped the hotel achieve recycling rates in excess of 50 per cent since opening.

Sales manager of Walsh Waste Gerard Walsh said there had been huge interest in the system since it had been put into operation.

"This method of collection has been extensively used on mainland Europe for the last 10 years, and its use is growing all the time," he said. "The system is suitable across all business sectors including apartments, hotels, shops and offices, and can be very easily retro-fitted to existing premises."

The underground system can also be used for glass bottle banks and is much quieter than the traditional type, which can be a problem when located close to residential areas.

Mr Ó Cuív said at yesterday's event that the handling of waste had become a major issue in society, and there had been a tremendous change in attitudes towards waste-disposal and recycling in Ireland over the past few years.

"We are now above the EU target in relation to the waste regulations, from being very far behind a few years ago. Irish people have really caught on to the whole area of waste disposal and recycling," he said.

Anything done by any company to develop cleaner, better and more convenient ways of handling waste was to be welcomed, and he commended Walsh Waste on its new system.

Walsh Waste has been in operation for 34 years and was the first company in Ireland to be awarded a waste-collection permit.

It has seen a great deal of change in the industry, especially over the past five years and has been to the forefront in providing Galway city and county with the latest in recycling and collection options.