Plasterboard manufacturer Gyproc today announced Ireland’s first plasterboard recycling service. This landmark new service which is being offered to its construction customers around the country was launched by Minister for Regional and Rural Affairs, Heather Humphreys, at the company’s facility in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan.

In a major sustainability initiative, Gyproc will recover leftover plasterboard waste from around the country for recycling at its Kingscourt facility. The new service will offer customers a legal and cost-effective means of disposing of their plasterboard waste; currently the dumping of such waste at landfill sites is illegal. Over the next 10 years, Gyproc, the market leader in plaster, plasterboard and drylining systems, hopes to recycle 500,000 tonnes of plasterboard – enough to fill Croke Park one and a half times over.

The investment in the new facility totals €1.5m and will bring the number of people employed by Gyproc to 220, a 20% expansion over the past two years. The company is the only manufacturer of plaster and plasterboard in Ireland.

Brian Dolan, Managing Director of Gyproc, explained: “We’re very proud to be the first and only plasterboard manufacturer in the country to offer recycling of our products on the island. As a market leader in this sector we are determined to be at the forefront of innovation in new products and services, and in the sustainability and environmental benefits of those services.

“The new recycling service we’re launching will help to secure local employment into the future by providing additional supplies of a diminishing raw material, namely gypsum rock. All our plasterboard is manufactured in Kingscourt, and we source gypsum from our Drummond mine in Co. Monaghan, so the connection to the local economy and community is very important to us.”

Minister Heather Humphreys said: “I’m delighted to see Gyproc’s new recycling service being launched. It will deliver economic and environmental benefits both for the sector and for the local community in Cavan and Monaghan. The company has gone from strength to strength, and it’s great to see a local business success story that is leading the way in sustainability and environmental innovation.”

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Building owners and designers will earn valuable points under the LEED and BREEAM international accreditation schemes by using this plasterboard recycling service and Gyproc plasterboard with recycled content.

Pictured above: (L-R) Sean Downey, Director, CIF; Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys; and Brian Dolan, Managing Director, Gyproc.