Minister opens Tallaght Rehab Recycle facility
Companies urged to recycle as part of CSR initiative
TechLife | 23 Nov 2011 :
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan opened Rehab Recycle's new state-of-the-art facility dedicated to electrical reuse in Tallaght on Tuesday. The first of its kind in Ireland, the operation will be focused on the reuse of electrical and electronic equipment, with the capacity to process up to 10,000 tonnes a year.
Rehab Recycle will accept anything with a battery, cable or plug from companies and then, following careful examination, those items deemed acceptable for reuse will be refurbished or stripped down into component parts.
A new corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, Promise it to Rehab Recycle, was also launched to encourage companies to pass on out-of-date and unused electrical equipment for the benefit of schools, charities, community groups and start-up enterprises.
Minister Hogan said: "Ireland is leading the way in Europe recycling an average of 9kg of waste electrical goods per year per head of population - that's 3.5kg above the European average. If we are really committed to conserving our natural resources for future generations, then we need to focus on reuse. Reusing electrical goods saves our pockets, our environment, and creates jobs in a whole new electrical reuse market."
Angela Kerins, Rehab chief executive, said: "For over 25 years, Rehab Recycle has been to the forefront of recycling in Ireland, pioneering new developments and technologies in the sector... Already, Rehab Recycle works closely with a range of major corporate partners such as Dell, Fujitsu, IBM, O2, eircom, the HSE, An Post and various banks. Today, with the launch of ‘Promise it to Rehab Recycle', we are hoping that more companies, both big and small, will come on board and promise all their disused computer and other electrical equipment to Rehab Recycle."
The Tallaght facility features a new data destruction area; a new wet room for the repair of general waste electrical goods; plant and machinery for improved asset identification; a secure area for storing assets with data; and enhanced security measures in place, including a new CCTV security system.
Companies can register for the initiative at www.promiseit.ie or Freefone 1800 661 551. All data will be permanently and verifiably removed using Blancco data destruction software, the system refurbished, a new Microsoft package uploaded, and then the equipment delivered to the organisation of the company's choice.
TechCentral Reporters
Pictured (l-r): Frank Flannery, Angela Kerins, Rehab Group; Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government; Martin Reddy, Rehab Recycle