Innovative Panda Waste takes inaugural Meath Business Award
Panda Waste - the overall winner of the inaugural Meath Business and Tourism Awards - is one of the success stories of the Irish waste business. The local company, based at Beauparc, outside Navan, has grown from a two-truck operation in 1973 to a €50 million turnover enterprise today with three state-of-the-art facilities in Meath and Dublin, employing some 200 people throughout its three premises.
It is the largest cardboard and paper recycler in Ireland is currently involved in a major development to develop refuse-derived fuel from domestic waste. The firm is also building an anerobic digestion plant. Anaerobic digestion reduces the emission of landfill gas into the atmosphere and the process produces a methane and carbon dioxide-rich biogas that is suitable for energy production, helping to replace fossil fuels. Earlier this year, work began on the new multi-million euro plant at Beauparc which will convert the waste into high-grade compost and a coal substitute while also producing electricity. The plant is expected to employ 40 people.
More than 250,000 tons of black bin waste (previously destined for landfill) will be converted into coal substitute for cement production, high-grade compost for agricultural use and 1.3mW of electricity to be fed directly to Ireland’s national grid. This is enough electricity to supply 5,000 homes, the equivalent of half the homes in Navan. At last Thursday’s business awards ceremony, Cllr Shane Cassells, leas cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, said that he was very conscious that the award he was about to present was for small and medium business and he had this category in mind when composing his remarks. “For those of you who may have a passing interest in American politics, the mid-term elections were held this week and the Democrats got a right kicking.
Now, the successful Republicans had one key phrase that they used throughout the whole campaign and that was 'We want to help the small and medium businesses which are the backbone of American society’. It was a message they bled dry,” he said. That message had worked insofar as they got a majority elected to the House but he wondered how many people actually believed that rhetoric and whether anything would actually change. “The point I am making here tonight is that it is so easy to say you want to help small and medium businesses - it is easy to empathise - it is a whole different thing to actually go and do something about it,” added Cllr Cassells. “And, quite simply, any politician who speaks about helping businesses should be speaking about one thing and one thing only - and that is keeping costs down...it is as plain and simple as that.”
That one act of not increasing the cost to business - either direct charges in terms of rates or indirect costs in town centres which affect customers and trade - will serve as the greatest stimulant a local economy could receive, he said. Meath County Manager Tom Dowling said that when the council was approached by the Meath Chronicle to support this competition to recognise and reward excellence in local business, they immediately said yes.
“We are proud to be partners in such an important, well-organised and well-supported event,” he said. He complimented all of the entrants, congratulating them on the high quality of their submissions. “It is clear that a lot of time, energy and imagination went into the submissions and it is no coincidence that those displaying such qualities are amongest tonight’s winners,” Mr Dowling said. The county manager said that we were living in extraordinary times and he recognised that, as a business community, those present at the awards ceremony were faced with challenges that were unprecedented in our lifetime. “It is now more important than ever that we highlight and acknowledge the hundreds of businesses in County Meath that are not just surviving but have recognised that change, innovation and responsiveness to the needs of their customers are key ingredients if they are to recover, succeed and prosper.”
He went on: “As a county, we are extremely attractive for future investment opportunities. We have a fantastic new road network which is second to none in Europe. We are located beside a major city, air and sea ports. We have excellent water/waste water and communications capacity available to investors and we also have serviced land available in locations investors want to develop for employment purposes. “We have a top class economic development team in place that will assist anyone doing business in the county or seeking to do business in the county. We are, without doubt, the most accessible county in Ireland. We are open for business and prepared to sell County Meath to the world,” he said.
2010 Panda Waste (Business Winner,Overall Winner)
2010 Trim Castle (Tourism Winner)
To view all of the category finalists & winners from 2010 please click here