In 2002, we participated in a period of strategic review, with Bord na Móna, Ireland’s peatland authority wherein we examined the potential alignment of opportunity between the growing Waste Management market, and the national landbank owned by Bord na Móna.
We in TOBIN enjoy assisting our clients in creating new business opportunities and using all our faculties to help them to achieve commercial start-up in new sectors of activity.
In 2002, we participated in a period of strategic review with Bord na Móna, Ireland’s peatland authority, wherein we examined the potential alignment of opportunity between the growing Waste Management market and the national landbank owned by Bord na Móna. We carried out an environmental and site screening process on their landbank for a Waste Management Facility.
Consequently, TOBIN was appointed by Bord na Móna to prepare a Planning Application, EIS and a Waste Licence Application for the Drehid Waste Management Facility which included a 120,000 TPA engineered landfill and a 25,000 TPA composting facility. The existing soft and unstable ground conditions were significant challenges which were overcome by TOBIN’s engineers in undertaking the preliminary design for the facility. This included a stretch of the 5km access road which passed through an area of peat which was in excess of 6m in depth. In addition, both a clay borrow area and a sand and gravel borrow area were proposed on-site, which would be exploited for the construction of the facility. TOBIN also participated in the public consultation process throughout and successfully guided the application through the planning process including an Oral Hearing with a resultant grant of permission issued by An Bord Pleanála in November 2005.
We also undertook management and control of the tender process for the appointment of a civil contractor for the construction works and subsequently provided technical assistance and undertook the contract administration during the construction phase. TOBIN also designed a landfill gas collection system and project managed the installation of the gas flare and the gas collection system. Construction of all of the infrastructure and phase one of the landfill was completed in early 2008 and the facility commenced accepting waste in February 2008.
In 2008 following the successful outcome of the original application process, TOBIN were appointed by Bord na Móna for the facility extension and intensification up to 360,000 TPA landfill capacity. This was the first waste management facility in Ireland to be examined in an Oral Hearing under the Strategic Infrastructure Act, and consequently, the first facility granted planning approval. TOBIN oversaw the multi-disciplinary team and provided the critical expert witness at this Oral Hearing.
The Drehid Waste Management Facility in County Kildare is a strategic project, diversifying operations into a new sector by Bord na Móna and leveraging the Bord into a major market position in Irish Waste Management. At 360,000 TPA, Drehid is currently the largest landfill in the country.
TOBIN has also acted as Clients Representative for the Design Build of the 25,000 TPA composting facility at this location.
Services provided by TOBIN Consulting Engineers on this project:
Civil Engineering 
Structural Engineering 
PSDP 
Planning Assistance Consultancy Services
