New Laois contract to cut bulky waste dumping

Laois County Council has secured a three-year contract with a leading social enterprise to recycle mattresses from the council’s only civic amenity site.

Collaboration with Bounce Back Recycling (BBR) will play a vital role in reducing the amount of bulky waste going to landfill in the county.

BBR Manager, Keith McDonagh, says over 10,600 old mattresses are disposed of in Laois every year, at an estimated loss of over €1.9m to the local economy. 

“The new contract will reduce this number by about 10% and will divert dumped mattresses from the Kyletalesha Civic Amenity Site in Portlaoise. If you can’t get your mattress to the civic amenity site, just call us on 091-760877 and we can arrange collection from your home.”

BBR say they are also keen to work with individual businesses in Co Laois, who want to operate more sustainably.

“Businesses like furniture retailers and hotels need to regularly dispose of bulky goods like mattresses,” says McDonagh. “We can help them divert these goods away from landfill, recycle them, and bring the materials back into the circular economy”.

The awarding of the Laois contract follows a tender process which placed particular emphasis on the sustainable treatment of waste and recyclable material.

The BBR team deconstructs old mattresses and furniture by hand, to extract a higher level of materials than machine recycling. These materials are reused for purposes like home insulation, carpet underlay and more.

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Laois County Council has been collaborating with BBR since 2019 to tackle the pressing issue of mattress waste in the region. This partnership encompasses the collection, transport, recycling, and reuse of mattresses sourced from the Kyletalesha Landfill in Portlaoise.

Since 2021, BBR has recycled over 116 tonnes of mattresses in County Laois from Kyletalesha.

Rory O’Callaghan of the Environment Section at Laois County Council says BBR’s service demonstrates their commitment to the reduction of waste.

“It highlights their emphasis on encouraging sustainability and a circular economy practice, in line with the National Waste Management Plan.”

O’Callaghan says it’s impressive that approximately 90% of the mattresses collected through BBR are successfully put through the recycling process.

“This means that a significant proportion of materials that would otherwise contribute to landfill waste are being repurposed into new products.

“The ongoing partnership between Laois County Council and Bounce Back Recycling exemplifies a proactive approach to waste management,” says O’Callaghan.

“It showcases a strong commitment to sustainability, community service, and the promotion of a circular economy.”

For further information or enquiries go to HERE.