Waste Management is a major issue that has to be dealt with on a daily basis as we strive to install a better environment for all and one Westmeath based firm is leading the way in the industry. Allied Waste Management is one of the North East's Leading Waste Management companies and it provides a wide range of waste collection and management services to both the domestic and commercial market operating in a number of counties including Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Cavan, Kildare and Wicklow. The company was established in 1992 by Gary O'Neill and has steadily grown during the intervening years to become one of the leading firms in its field of expertise, while plans are in place to expand even further in the coming years. The Maroon and White spoke to company manager Criostoir O'Brien about how the firm has grown, while he also spoke about their sponsorship of the local GAA clubs. "Initially the company was based in Oldcastle, Co. Meath and started off with just one rear end loader and one skip truck, but since then the fleet has steadily risen, while the business has expanded considerably," said Criostoir. "We specialise in the environmentally safe disposal and recovery of our customers waste and with 30 vehicles currently on the road, we provide a reliable and effective means of dealing with each waste stream generated. With an excellent reputation and excellent logistics we guarantee first class delivery of all our services to all our customers." Over the years the company has added other variations of waste management to its portfolio as roll-on/roll-off skip trucks became part of the fleet, while refuse collection trucks designed to lift wheelie bins were also introduced. As Allied Waste grew so too did areas in which the collection service was provided and Drogheda town and Leixlip are now included. Allied Waste have also extended their collection service throughout the County of Westmeath, operating the waste collection service on behalf of Westmeath County Council since 2004. Four Refuse Collection Vehicles collect in excess of 7000 bins per week providing an alternate week collection service for refuse and mixed dry recyclables. A pilot scheme for the collection of organic waste has been in operation in the Mullingar area since October 2006. "Following the closure of a number of landfills within the region, about eight years ago, the volume of waste that could be landfill was drastically reduced, which meant that our collection methods had to change. Separate collections were introduced for the collection of recyclable materials such as glass, cardboard, plastic, timber and metal, and customers were provided with extra skip and wheeled bin containers as well as balers and compactors for the management of these waste streams. "Last year we opened our first Materials Recovery Facility in Clonmellon and since October, all the company's business takes place from that site." Allied Waste also provide a skip hire service to its customers with four different types of skips available starting with the skip bag and moving on up to the mini skip, midi skip and the standard skip. Westmeath County Council has issued a permit for this facility in April of last year. "The skips come in a variety of sizes and range from 1.7 cubic yard to 6 or 8 cubic yard, so that customers will not be paying for a skip that they will only half fill." Another service provided by the company is the rental of equipment where customers can rent out waste handling equipment to suit their needs and this range includes balers for cardboard and plastic, skip pac compactors for wet waste and static compactors for dry industrial waste or civic amenity sites. Following the introduction of new legislations almost on an annual basis, Criostoir admitted that there was a lot of paperwork to contend with on a daily basis. "First of all there are waste collection permits required for every region that we operate in and at the moment we have five permits to cover the areas where we provide a collection service. "A hazardous permit is also needed for the collection of waste that could be flammable or are a danger to the environment, while an annual environmental report must also be submitted, which monitors every piece of waste that we handle." With a full time staff of 40 on the books, Allied Waste Management is one of the largest employers in the area and Criostoir revealed that the company is always looking to expand. "There are plans in place to expand the waste collection service to include new routes and we are always looking at ways to improve the business, although I must stress that we are happy with the way things are progressing." Since moving to the new premises in Clonmellon, the company has been involved in some sponsorship with the local GAA clubs and this is something that Criostoir feels is a good way of giving something back to the community. "We helped St Paul's football club out with some sponsorship and we also gave the local Brownstown camogie club some sponsorship too. We feel it is important to do these sort of things as we are relying on people like that to make the business successful." The county has benefited considerably from the Celtic Tiger as housing and commercial developments have mushroomed throughout the midlands. GAA in the county has also blossomed during this period as both the hurlers and footballers have won honours. First of all the footballers guided by Kerry legend Paidi O'Se claimed an historic Leinster title in 2004, when they defeated Laois in the final following a replay. The county hurlers were not to outdone as they have claimed the Christy Ring Cup twice in the last three years and after winning the inaugural championship, they were promoted to the top tier where they met Kilkenny in Cusack Park, which was an amazing occasion for players and supporters alike. Two thousand and eight is a massive year for the county as the footballers under the guidance of Tomas O'Flatharta look to claim provincial honours, while hurling manager Johnny Dooley will be hoping to guide his charges to a second consecutive title. "Sport and business have many comparisons as you have to work hard at both to achieve your goals," said the Tipperary native. "A lot of hard work has gone into making Allied Waste Management the success it is and that is something we intend to continue in the future." Tweet

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