Enva unveils plans for new Healthcare Risk Waste facility

Recycling and resource recovery specialist, Enva, has unveiled plans for a new Healthcare Risk Waste facility in Dublin, Ireland. The announcement follows the commencement of the planning process with An Bord Pleanála, an independent body with responsibility for determining applications for major infrastructure and other developments.

The proposed state of the art facility will provide much needed treatment capacity and flexibility, whilst helping to sustainably manage Ireland’s Healthcare Risk Waste. If successful, the planning permission will see Enva develop its site at Greenogue Business Park. This will include the restructuring of the existing recycling operations and the construction of a steam sterilisation facility capable of processing 24,000 tonnes of waste a year from the Irish healthcare sector including hospitals, laboratories, life science companies and nursing homes.

Healthcare Risk Waste volumes are increasing globally. Contributory factors include an aging population, increased availability of healthcare and advances in new treatments and procedures. Hospital Acquired Infections place enormous burdens on our healthcare service and sophisticated infection control practices to address this challenge have increased the volume of single use medical devices and consumables. Similarly, enhanced hygiene practices and the increased use of single use Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.) such as gloves, wipes, and aprons have also contributed to the increase.

Steam sterilisation is a cost effective, widely used and proven technology for the treatment of HRW. Waste arrives at the facility in sealed containers and is then introduced to an automated process where the material is shredded and sterilised. Once the process is complete the fully sterilised material can be used by third parties as a refuse derived fuel in the production of sustainable energy.

Commenting on the proposed development Enva’s CEO, James Priestley, said: “Enva is committed to maintaining its support for the Irish healthcare sector which has faced enormous challenges in recent years. In addition to creating a healthy and competitive market this facility will add significant HRW treatment capacity. In doing so it will further strengthen Ireland’s resilience and readiness for future demand. Enva will continue to invest in proven processes that safely and sustainably manage waste, while also enabling us to maximise its full environmental and commercial value. In doing so we will continue to play a key role in the development of a more circular economy and help our customers to meet their environmental objectives.”