Enva and CDE partnership paves the way for sustainable waste management

One of Ireland's largest C&D waste recycling plants is set to be commissioned in 2026.

To further enhance the circularity of soil and stone waste materials on the island of Ireland, Enva, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading environmental services and resource recovery businesses, and wet processing experts CDE, have announced the development of a new 180 tonnes per hour (tph) Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste wash plant to be commissioned in County Kildare.

In late 2024, Enva expanded its soil recovery business in Ireland with the acquisition of Walshestown Restoration Limited, a leading restoration and recovery partner dedicated to the sustainable treatment of soils, and the recovery of sand, gravel, soil, and stone from recycled materials. The 100-acre facility is licensed to accept 330,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste annually, predominantly consisting of waste soil and stone.

This facility near Naas, County Kildare, is where the 180tph wet processing plant, designed and engineered by CDE, will process a variety of brownfield construction, demolition, and excavation (CD&E) wastes to recover premium sand and aggregate products suitable for high-value construction and critical infrastructure projects across the eastern region.

CDE Business Development Manager, Garry Stewart said: “This is a welcome step in the right direction, but there’s still a long road ahead. 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 recognise the strategic imperative of waste recycling for sustainable business growth.”

C&D Waste: The Irish context

The construction and demolition sector in Ireland generated an estimated nine million tonnes of waste in 2023, up over 8 per cent from 8.3 million tonnes in 2022, according to statistics from the EPA[1]. Approximately 81 per cent of this waste stream consists of soil, stones, and dredging spoil, amounting to 7.3 million tonnes. Of all construction and demolition waste generated in Ireland in 2023, three-quarters (75%) was used for backfilling, while 12% was disposed of and 11% was recycled.

In the decade leading up to 2023, construction and demolition waste in Ireland grew by 300 per cent.

Despite the rise in construction and demolition waste, construction output declined in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office. Over the year from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023, the production volume in construction decreased by 6.3%.

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

"This facility enables us to meet the increasing demand for high-quality recycled aggregates, helping our customers reduce their dependence on virgin materials, and significantly lower the carbon footprint of construction and infrastructure projects in Ireland. It’s a vital step in delivering the sustainable solutions that modern developments now require, while conserving natural resources for future generations and avoiding waste to landfill.”

The plant is expected to be operational in March 2026.

For more information about CDE and its wet processing solutions, visit: cdegroup.com.

[1] EPA | Construction & Demolition Waste Statistics for Ireland | 2023

ENDS

Notes to editors 

About CDE

• CDE is a leading provider of wet processing equipment for recycling operations, quarries and mines in the global market. 
• The CDE equipment range has applications across a wide range of materials and is delivering significant efficiencies in the construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E), waste recycling, mining, industrial sands and environmental sectors. 
• Working across five regions globally, CDE has been co-creating with customers for over 30 years to deliver collaborative, imaginative and unique processing systems. 
• CDE’s global headquarters are located in Northern Ireland, which is also the regional head office for its UK & Ireland operations. CDE’s North American headquarters, south of Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas ensures the company effectively serves the Americas market. It also has regional offices in Europe, MEA, and Australasia.
• CDE is an established and award-winning company and was recognised in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards 2024. This was the 16th year in succession that CDE has won a Best Managed Companies award.
• CDE’s purpose is to create our best world, a ton at a time. CDE is committed to sustainability, and our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy aims to reach Net Zero by 2050, with 50% reduced emissions across scopes 1 and 2 by 2030.

Enva is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading recycling and resource recovery companies with a turnover of £400m (FY25), more than 2,000 employees and over 20,000 customers. The company’s 39 sites use the latest technology to maximise the recovery of valuable secondary materials and are focused on delivering safe, sustainable and compliant solutions for complex environmental challenges and hard-to-handle materials. The company is a supplier of high-quality sustainable materials and solutions, supporting the increasing demands from its large manufacturing and industrial customers for sustainable, recycled materials and closed-loop solutions.

[1] EPA | Construction & Demolition Waste Statistics for Ireland | 2023