Launch of new Mayo €600,000 waste segregation facility
There were scenes of great excitement in Clogher, just outside Westport, when Bourke Waste celebrated the opening of a new top-level skip-segregation facility at the company’s base.
The new €600,000 facility was opened by Michael Ring TD in front of a large gathering of family, friends, customers and staff.
Managing Director and company founder Stanley Bourke and his sons Adam and Ross were on hand to welcome everyone to the event and explain how the new machinery and warehouse will boost the business.
“We already have a very good skip service across Mayo, but this will secure the business and allow us to expand with even more efficient delivery times,” Adam Bourke stated.
“Also, there will be an increase in the amount of material recycled and recovered which will reduce the amount of waste going to incineration.”
Michael Ring TD said he was absolutely delighted to be associated with a company contributing so much to the Mayo economy and the local community.
“Stanley is employing 44 people in good jobs and that’s huge. To have such a top-quality company in Mayo is a huge boost and the service they give domestic and commercial clients is second to none.
"The State walked away from waste collection some years ago and but for Stanley and the likes of him I don’t know where we’d be.
"They stepped into the void and the way they conduct their business is a credit to them and their staff.”
Bourke Waste was founded in September 1998 when Stanley and his late wife Marie took a leap of faith and entered a business they knew very little about at the time.
“I had just given up my job in Allergan which was very secure and solid and took over the dairy farm of 35 cows from my father Eric.
"However, within three months the BSE disaster happened and farming flopped to the ground. I had a wife, new house, two sons and no money.
“Marie was working at the time and that was the only thing keeping us afloat. Marie’s brothers, Dermot and Kevin had a successful bar and restaurant in Castlebar and said they had problems getting their waste collected and that put us thinking.
“We took out a loan and bought a cheap bin lorry, which nearly broke our hearts. We bought wheelie bins and managed to get 15 householders to join us in the first week.
“The word spread, and we reached 100 households in three months and we were off and running.
"Our reward at that time was two pounds left under the bin when we went to collect it. That’s how we started,” Stanley explained.
The company headquarters was a sea of excited well-wishers last Friday as the Bourkes celebrated another major step forward for the business.
“We’re so thankful to have more than six thousand domestic customers and more than 600 commercial customers,” Ross Bourke stated.
“We have household customers in Westport, Louisburgh, Newport, Mulranny, Achill, Castlebar, Islandeady, Ballyheane, Ballintubber, Partry, Breaffy, Balla, Belcarra, Ballyvary, Swinford, Straide, Foxford, Ballina, Crossmolina, Moygownagh, Ballycastle, Killala and many other rural areas.
“We also service all these areas for commercial services. We service many very large commercial businesses and many small and medium sized businesses. All are vital to us. We also service Connemara with skip services. We feel that we are a serious player in waste management in Mayo and we aim to be the best.
Michael Ring performed the opening ceremony after the new premises was blessed by Very Reverend Andrea Wills and Fr. Charlie McDonnell, Adm., Westport.