Recycling Centre
The Recycling Centre at the Scotchcorner is the only one in County Monaghan and is situated in the centre of the county beside the landfill which is also the only one in the county. Click to Find us. The centre is used by an average of 500 people per week. There is no gate fee unlike other centres throughout the country so this is a great factor in encouraging people to come and recycle for free.
The centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5.30pm and Saturdays from 9am to 4pm and is Open through lunch.
Here's just some of the things Visitors had to say in a recent survey about the Civic Amenity Site:
'Fantastic, Best thing ever', Monaghan Town
'Excellent Facilities & Friendly Staff', Castleshane, Monaghan
'Very well organised & Very Convienent', Monaghan
'My Children love the Lollies', Clontibret
'Facilities are second to none', Emyvale
'Very good range can be Recycled', Castleshane
'Beats anything I had in England', Carrickmacross
The following materials are accepted Free of charge.
Cardboard, newspaper, magazines, office paper, paper bags, envelopes, books, shredded paper, plastic bottles, steel food tins, aluminium cans, plastic bags, clean plastic film, tetra paks, glass, household batteries, car/lorry/tractor batteries, fluorescent tubes, household light bulbs, clean re-useable clothing/footwear, leather coats/belts/bags, aerosol cans, gas cylinders, mobile phones, ink jet cartridges and all electrical goods, i.e. Anything with a battery or a power cable.
A small fee applies to grass and hedge cuttings, scrap metal, bicycles, building rubble, ceramics, timber, plasterboard, polystyrene, paints, cooking/engine oil and household waste. Large bulky items such as old furniture is also accepted.
The following is a guide line to the materials we accept and what happens to them after they leave our site. It is also very important to note that we should not landfill any of the following materials as they can be re-used to good effect. Hazardous materials are banned from landfilling and are denoted by an asterisk
Cardboard – Clean dry cardboard is baled up into half ton bales
Where does it go?
To I.P.R. in Dublin where it is then re-loaded into containers for shipment to China which is the largest market in the world for recycling.
What happens?
The cardboard is recycled via the pulping process which removes inks and dyes. Water is added to produce a pulp like material which is then placed through large heavy rollers to remove the excess water and press the fibres together to make new cardboard again
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Newspaper/Magazines – Any plastic wrapping is removed before being baled
Where does it go?
I.P.R in Dublin and shipped to either India or China depending on the market value
What happens?
Same process as cardboard. It is then turned into new paper for printing on.
Mixed Paper (Any paper that’s not newspaper. Eg office paper, paper bags, envelopes and books)
Where does it go?
I.P.R. in Dublin and shipped to either India or China
What happens?
Same process as the newspaper. Can then be re made into paper and toilet paper.
Plastic Bottles – We removed any pvc or hard plastics and bale the bottles only.
Where do they go?
We transport them to Shergrim Recycling in Omagh who in turn send them to A.W.S in England.
What happens?
PET Bottles (mineral and water) are turned back into bottles or used to make fleece for coats etc.
HDPE Bottles (milk, detergent and oil) are turned into wheelie bins, garden furniture and fence posts.
Steel + Aluminium Cans
Where do they go?
Shergrim in Omagh take these who then send them to Warrington in England for processing.
What happens?
Steel cans are melted in a furnace and when cooled, rolled into large sheets for making new food cans or car panels. Alum cans is the most valuable material as it can be recycled many times over without affecting quality so this makes it cheaper to recycle than producing it from raw materials. They are made into new beer cans, mineral cans etc.
Plastic wrapping / Bags
Where do they go?
Leinster Environmental in County Louth.
What happens?
After we separate the plastic between LDPE and HDPE we then bale it. Leinster Environmental then melt it down into a pellet form to make new plastic wrapping.
Recycle Material
Below is a photo of some of the recycled material from the Recycling centre in Baled form!!!
Glass
Where does it go?
Rehab Enterprises in Dublin empty our bottle banks and take the glass to their plant in Dublin
What happens?
It is sorted into each colour-green, brown and clear. The lids are removed and it is then crushed into cullet and goes through a screening system where all other objects like window glass, cups and plates are removed. Then the labels are removed. The glass then goes to Quinn Glass in Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh where it is put into large furnaces with other raw materials for producing new glass bottles. Also the likes of Roadstone buy the crushed glass to help make tar for new roads. You may notice signs on major new roads saying how many thousand recycled bottles were used in the making of the road like the Carrickmacross By-Pass.
Clothes
Where do they go?
Textile recycling in Dublin.
What happens?
Clothes and footwear are sold to third world markets. The lighter clothing goes to the warmer countries like Africa and India and the heavier clothing goes to Eastern European countries such as Romania. Clothes not suitable for re-use are shredded and are used as wiping cloths.
Electrical Goods ( W.E.E.E. ) *
Where do they go?
Cedar Resource in Dublin collect our 40ft container every 3 weeks which contains 11 tonnes of household electrical equipment such as radios, computers, lights, fax machines, printers, fridges, freezers, washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers, microwaves and TV’s.
LDA "Large Domestic Appliances" which are NOT fridges: After collection at the Recycling Centre, these are separated by type i.e. washers, cookers, etc., and are 'pre-treated'. This process involves removing cables, plastic doors, accessible circuit boards, ballasts, etc., until a 'shell' of mainly steel remains. Aluminium tubs from washers are segregated and the 'shell' is then bailed and sent for metal recycling. The same would happen to any other metal streams such as copper and aluminium. Wires are stripped of plastics in a specialised machine and segregated by metal type, again for recycling. Plastics are put through a shredder in order that they can be broken up into small pieces, usually by type & colour, and these are invariably sent to the Far East for further processing, and usually end up making new plastics (some very old fire-retardant plastics contain chemicals which are too hazardous to recycle, although this is a low percentage). Metals are used in making new carbon steel, aluminium, etc.
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COLD - fridges: Fridges are collected and the first stage is degassing. Using a specialised 'hoover' with extensive filtration the gases are removed from the coils, and the compressors removed & oil drained for proper disposal. Compressors can be used in metal recycling, but in many instances are shipped to the Far East for disassembly and sometimes reuse. Walls are removed which contain CFC foam, which is treated and neutralised and ends up looking like sponge toffee. Metals and plastics are treated as described above.
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SDA "Small Domestic Appliances": This is the messiest WEEE waste stream as there are so many variables. Component materials differ greatly between speakers, irons, hoovers, etc., and can include wood, cardboard, circuit boards, plastics, metals, glass, etc. These are collected and pre-treated i.e. ink cartridges from printers removed, batteries, cables, etc. The appliances are then segregated usually by size/type and put into a giant blender with a huge chain which shreds them up into small fragments. The fragments travel through a conveyer system and are separated into plastics, metals, etc. At some recycling companies they use magnets, and/or floatation tanks which draws out plastics from metals. Further heat systems are often used to then separate the metals into copper, aluminium, etc. Plastics are sent to the Far East as described above. It is best practice and makes higher returns for the recyclers the 'cleaner' the component materials are when they ship them out.
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CRT "Cathode Ray Tube" i.e. TVs and Monitors: contain hazardous waste in the form of phosphorous powder and leaded glass. The first step when they arrive at the recycling company is to remove the cables and outer plastic casings (or wood for very old TVs). These are bailed or shredded, again usually by plastic type and/or colour in order to have as uniform a component material as possible for shipment. The tubes, which look like sealed funnels, are made of two types of glass which are sealed together and connected further by a copper coil. The coil is removed and the tube is put into either a laser or diamond cutting machine, which takes around 30 seconds to cut. The operator 'hoovers' the phosphorous powder through a filtration system into a 55 gallon plastic drum. It takes thousands of TVs' powder to fill the drum, which eventually ends up in Hazardous Waste landfill. The glass is divided into it's two types and then made smaller, usually through a shredder or aggregator until it's relatively uniform. The bail-bags of glass pieces are then shipped out to re-smelters to make into new TV glass, the majority of which is done in Germany to be shipped to the Far East. Cables, etc., are treated as described above.
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Fluorescent Tubes: These are put into a crusher which separates the glass from the aluminium caps and plastics on the tube. The plastics and aluminium are treated as described above. The glass, however, contains hazardous mercury powder which needs to be removed. Bags of bailed shredded glass are sent across the water for treatment in either the UK mainland or Continental Europe. The process involves washing the glass in water over several stages and when it's free from the mercury it's sent into glass recycling for making more lightbulbs. The water is distilled until a purer form of mercury is achieved which is used by the medical and chemical industries. In ROI, ERP doesn't take care of this waste stream as it's another compliance scheme who looks after the quantities for the whole country. We do however recycle these from Northern Ireland.
Waste Oil * – Engine + Cooking oil are put in separate drums for collection
Where does it go?
Enva Ireland in Portlaoise collects our oil and takes it away for recovery.
What happens?
Firstly, any water, which is usually around ten per cent, is removed and taken to a water treatment plant. The oil is filtered to remove any waste before being used to either generate power or make tarmac for the likes of Roadstone. Cooking oil also goes through a process of separation and filtration before being used in the manufacture of Bio-Diesel meaning that it can be used as fuel in a car!!!
Paints / Paint cans *
Where do they go?
Enva Ireland in Portlaoise
What happens?
The liquid paint is poured into a UN approved container and sealed and sent to Enva where the paint
undergoes a distillation process and is fully recycled and used by the heavy industry for paint/manufacturing processes. The cans are put in another container where Enva then use a process which involves freezing any hardened paint to remove it. The metal cans then go for metal recycling and the plastic ones are shredded and turned into a pellet used for fuel.
Batteries *
Where do they go?
Enva Ireland in Portlaoise
What happens?
Batteries are hazardous materials so they cannot be landfilled. They are carefully transported to Portlaoise where they are then sent to Germany for recycling. The lead is removed and used to make more batteries and the acid is incinerated. The outer plastic case is melted down into tiny pellets to make new plastic.
Fluorescent Tubes *
Where do they go?
Enva Ireland in Portlaoise
What happens?
Again these are a hazardous material as they contain mercury. The mercury from one tube can contaminate up to 30,000 litres of water!!! The tubes are crushed on site and the glass cutlets are separated from the mercury dust. This is done in a self contained environment so no emissions enter the atmosphere. They are then sent to Germany for recovery. The glass is used to make new tubes and the mercury is used in the manufacture of thermometers.
Aerosol cans *
Where do they go?
Enva Ireland in Portlaoise
What happens?
Aerosols present a risk to the environment such as high flammability and toxicity of their contents. They have to be depressurised to prevent any explosion hazards and then are exported to Germany for disposal.
Polystyrene
Where does it go?
Rehab Recycle in Navan, Co. Meath
What happens?
Polystyrene is also known as Styrofoam or aeroboard is used mainly for protective packaging for electrical goods. It is made up of 98% air and 2% plastic. The polystyrene is passed through a heat reduction machine which removes the air and leaves behind a dense plastic product which is made into clothes hangers, CD cases, stationary and the outer shell of computers, printers etc.
Gas cylinders *
Where do they go?
Calor Gas Ireland
What happens?
The gas cylinders are refilled and sold.
Mobile phones
Where do they go?
Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. Website: www.jackandjill.ie
What happens?
Phones fit for reuse are reconditioned and sent to third world countries for sale at market value and the money raised is used to fund the foundation. Unusable ones are disposed of in the proper manner.
Inkjet Cartridges
Where do they go?
HP Planet Partners in Dublin
What happens?
Refilled and sold as a cheaper alternative to making new ones.
Green Waste
Where does it go?
Taken to Natural Wood Products, NWP in Keady, Co. Armagh.
What happens?
Grass and hedge clippings are mixed with shredded timber and heaped into windrows and turned every so often to let the air at it and this is known as aerobic composting. This creates a rich compost for sale to households and garden centres.
Timber
Where does it go?
Treated on site
What happens?
Timber is separated into two catagories, Waste and Recyclable. Waste timber such as chipboard, kitchen units etc are landfilled and will biodegrade in the landfill. Recyclable timber is shredded on site into a pellet form and sold to farmers for bedding of cattle and walkways across land.
Scrap metal
What does it go?
T-MET in Co. Armagh
What happens?
Again like the process of the steel cans the metal is cut up into pieces and melted in a furnace and then cooled rolled into large sheets to form new products.
Plasterboard
Where does it go?
Gypsum Recycling in Co. Kildare
What happens?
All contaminants are separated from the plasterboard and then the gypsum powder is separated from the paper to provide a 98% clean gypsum material for re-use in the construction industry. It is cheaper for the construction industry to recycle plasterboard rather than landfill it so this gives them the incentive to recycle.
C & D – ( Rubble )
Where does it go?
Used to either maintain the roadways in the landfill or to a local quarry for filling. Examples are blocks, bricks, cement, tiles and ceramics.
Wastes not accepted at our recycling centre are tyres and asbestos.