Cleaning up the commercial fleet
Clean Ireland Recycling is one of the leading recycling companies in the West of Ireland. With operations in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, Clean Ireland Recycling has a reputation for innovation and investing in the success of their business.
Clean Ireland Recycling has become the first company in Ireland to add CNG trucks to their fleet. The environmental company has also become the first private operator to install their own CNG refuelling facility as part of Gas Networks Ireland’s roll out of 70 CNG stations nationwide.
The impetus to get involved was straightforward, according to Brian Lyons, Operations Director of Clean Ireland Recycling: “The waste industry is energy intensive. We use a lot of energy in collecting, sorting and recycling material. Switching to CNG means that we can reduce our energy costs by up to 30 per cent, while reducing our emissions, by 22 per cent less carbon dioxide and 99 per cent less particulate matter.”
While the cost savings are important, the environmental savings have an indirect but very important benefit for the business.
“Customers are becoming more focused on the sustainability of their supply chain. Clean Ireland Recycling already supplies a ‘zero-landfill’ waste service for our customers. I believe we are getting close to a situation where environmental policy will and should play a key role in public sector tender processes. It is already a consideration for many of our private sector businesses. The decision we have made to invest in a CNG fleet is not just environmentally smart, financially it makes sense.”
Clean Ireland Recycling did their homework before committing to the investment.
“We have been researching CNG for some time, we first looked at it nearly three years ago. I visited companies in Europe that were using the technology and making savings. We saw the improvements that were being made by vehicle manufacturers in terms of fuel efficiency, range and performance. The time is definitely right to invest in CNG.”
Clean Ireland Recycling has just invested in two new Scania trucks. Like many operators, Clean Ireland Recycling upgrade their fleet in rotation and Brian Lyons intends to transition their fleet of 25 vehicles in the years ahead to run on CNG. He also sees another great opportunity.
“We currently send all of our food waste to an Anaerobic Digestion Facility. This waste is being turned into Biomethane. It is 100 per cent technically achievable that the waste we collect and carry in our trucks can provide the fuel to power them. Gas Networks Ireland is working to develop renewable gas in Ireland and I look forward to a day in the near future when our Clean Ireland Recycling CNG trucks will be running on renewable gas created from waste.”
As Clean Ireland Recycling prepare to introduce their new clean power CNG vehicles onto the streets of the Mid West, Gas Networks Ireland is looking to work with other progressive businesses who want to reduce their emissions and also save money.
