CDE partners with Enva to develop waste wash plant in Ireland

CDE, a Cookstown, Northern Ireland-based leader in wet processing solutions for the natural and waste recycling sectors, has partnered with Enva, an environmental services and resource recovery business in the U.K. and Ireland, to develop a new 180 metric tons per hour construction and demolition (C&D) waste wash plant, which will be commissioned in County Kildare. 

In 2024, Enva expanded its soil recovery business in Ireland by acquiring Walshestown Restoration Limited, a restoration and recovery partner dedicated to the recovery of sand, gravel, soil and stone from recycled materials. CDE says the 100-acre facility is licensed to accept 330,000 metric tons of C&D waste annually, predominantly consisting of waste soil and stone. 

The facility, near Naas, County Kildare, is where CDE says the 180 metric tons per hour wet processing plant, designed and engineered by CDE, will process a variety of brownfield construction, demolition and excavation waste to recover premium sand and aggregate products suitable for high-value construction and infrastructure projects across the eastern region. 

“This is a welcome step in the right direction, but there’s still a long road ahead, says Garry Stewart, CDE business development manager. “Our partnership with Enva demonstrates the role that private industry can play when it comes to addressing the waste burden and advancing the circular economy for the benefit of all. As regulations evolve, there are significant gains to be made for those businesses that recognize the strategic imperative of waste recycling for sustainable business growth.” 

CDE says the C&D sector in Ireland generated an estimated 9 million metric tons of waste in 2023, up more than 8 percent from 8.3 million metric tons in 2022, according to statistics from the EPA1. CDE says approximately 81 percent of this waste stream consists of soil, stones and dredging spoil, amounting to 7.3 metric tons. Of all the C&D waste generated in Ireland in 2023, 75 percent was used for backfilling, while 12 percent was disposed of and 11 percent was recycled. 

In the decade leading up to 2023, C&D waste in Ireland grew by 300 percent, CDE says. Despite the rise in waste, construction output declined in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office.  

“We’re proud to announce our partnership with CDE on the installation of our new, state-of-the-art sand and aggregates recycling plant,” Enva Managing Director Richard Kennedy says. “The largest of its kind in Ireland, this investment directly supports Enva’s sustainability goals and our broader commitment to providing circular economy solutions.” 

CDE says the plant is expected to be operational in March 2026.