AES (Advanced Environmental Solutions) is one of Ireland's largest waste management and recycling companies, providing a superior, value-for-money service to domestic and commercial customers throughout the midlands and beyond. The company's presence in Westmeath is growing all the time and AES is now very much at the leading edge of the Lake County's battle to preserve, sustain and nurture the environment. AES is a dedicated, innovative waste management company, operational nationwide but with a growing presence in Westmeath. Paul Hennessy is general manager of the Tullamore depot, which services the entire midlands region. Currently, over 90 employees work out of this depot, servicing counties Westmeath, Roscommon and Offaly. At present, AES' presence in Westmeath is three-fold, as Paul explains: "We service 4,000 domestic households in Athlone, primarily on chip and bin technology, which is new to the Westmeath area. The chip records the weight of the bin and that is linked to the customer details and they are only charged by the lift. That service is now being rolled out over the entire county and is proving extremely popular, not least because it's up to 25% cheaper than the competition. "At current growth rates, we project that we will have 6,000-7,000 customers in Westmeath by the end of 2009. We expect to be covering the entire county by then." No wonder thousands of people all over Ireland have already switched to AES. Using the innovative chip technology, customers only pay when their bin is left out, with recycling and standard bins collected on alternate weekends. Becoming an AES customer and making immediate savings couldn't be simpler: either talk to one of the company's local reps covering the area, call 1890 866 994 or text RECYCLE to 51000. Secondly, AES is also one of the largest commercial waste service providers in the Westmeath area, collecting general waste, timber, metals, plastics, cardboard, builder's rubble and green waste from commercial and industrial premises. The company, which is a subsidiary of Bord Na Mona, places a strong emphasis on recycling in every aspect of its operations. Thirdly, they service the civil amenity sites in Athlone and Mullingar (which receive approximately 50,000 visits per annum from the general public). "We're contracted by Westmeath County Council to collect and recycle every type of waste material imaginable through these sites," Paul reveals. "We operate a brand-new fleet of trucks. The fleet has been completely upgraded and is the freshest in the market. We also own the largest materials recovery facility in the midlands (where recyclable materials are segregated) and we put over 25,000 tonnes per annum through that. "We've just completed a 650,000 euro upgrade to incorporate optical sorting technology into our state-of-the-art facility. We have the highest recycling figures of any recycling company in the midlands area. At least 70% of all waste collected in the midlands is recycled through the facility in Tullamore. As well as Tullamore, AES also has depots in Navan, Portlaoise, Nenagh and Rosslare. Paul concludes: "Westmeath is a significant growth area for us on both the domestic and commercial waste sides. We are the largest provider of commercial waste management services in Westmeath and that side of the business is growing all the time. Westmeath is a very important area to us and we intend to continue providing the people of the county with a quality, value-for-money, environmentally-friendly waste management solution for many years to come." Established in 1996 as Waste Recycling Ireland, AES commenced trading as Advanced Environmental Solutions (Ireland) Ltd. in 2001. Growing through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth, AES is now one of Ireland's largest waste management and recycling companies. Their domestic service is availed of by up to 60,000 homes across the midlands, while they also provide waste management services to 5,000 commercial businesses nationwide. The objective of the company is to manage waste in a manner that maximises the segregation, reuse and recycling of materials while minimising the volume sent for disposal. This is achieved by utilising the most modern technologies, ensuring regulatory compliance and working in partnership with customers, regulators and trade organisations at international, regional and local levels. The stated company policies of AES are: to be waste managers and solution providers rather than waste collectors; to be a professional company with a highly qualified and experienced management team; to provide turn-key waste management services and solutions for small, medium and large scale corporate clients; to provide domestic customers with an efficient, reliable and value-for-money collection and recycling service; to be a totally compliant organisation in the waste industry in respect of local, national and EU environmental laws and directives; to be totally compliant with all taxation and revenue requirements and health & safety legislation; to put in place alternative technologies to landfill disposal so as to ensure sustainability of resources in the medium to long term. PJ Carey is senior executive engineer in the environmental section of Westmeath County Council, covering waste management, water pollution and waste enforcement. He admits that it's vitally important for the local authority to force strong partnerships with knowledgeable companies like AES: "They are the experts at recycling. We collect waste for recycling and we also have 48 bring banks and two civic amenity sites, which are run on our behalf by AES. They sort the recyclables and ship them off, which is a vital role in the waste management process and something we wouldn't be able to do on our own." What can GAA clubs and supporters do to help with the fight to protect our environment? "There's a new government initiative for energy efficiency on buildings, which people should look at. They are offering grants to help people put more insulation into their walls and roofs, and also for small wind turbines to heat water and run electricity. There are also grants available for solar panels in the roofs of buildings." Is there more and more emphasis being placed on protecting the environment in the county? "There is, largely because of increased environmental legislation from the EU, for example the water framework directive, under which we are required to ensure that all ground water achieves a good quality status by 2015. Also, the EU landfill directive requires landfill sites to be restored and the diversion of biodegradable waste from landfills, which means compost or incineration of that waste. That will have to be done on a progressive scale over the next few years." What are the biggest threats to the environment? "Global warming is definitely the biggest one. Water quality is another. Unless the correct measures are taken now, there could be a shortage of suitable drinking water in the future, with the population growing all the time. We deal with global warming through flaring landfills to remove hothouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide. The government is also going to bring out carbon taxes, which will reduce emissions further." And how important is recycling? "It's very important. It's a big part of the whole waste management equation. The EU has a hierarchy for waste management which reads: Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle, Convert, Disposal. So Recycling, is the third priority after Reduce and Re-use and our preference would certainly be to Recycle above either Incineration or Landfill." And finally, how can the ordinary man on the street make a difference? Can we play a part in the war against waste? "Of course, it comes back to the power of one. If everybody does a little bit, it makes a big difference. People just need to think and behave responsibility and consciously. Everybody has a carbon footprint and this can be reduced." Tweet

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