Wet processing plant processing 330,000 tonnes of CD&E waste per year at Walshestown facility
Walshestown Restoration is the site one of the most visible examples of circularity in practice on the island of Ireland. The facility, owned and operated by Enva, and powered by CDE wet processing technology, backs on to Punchestown Racecourse where materials recovered from the 180 tonnes per hour (tph) construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste recycling plant are used to maintain the world-class racing grounds.
It’s a prime example of how CD&E waste can be returned to productive use, an ambition of Enva’s that gained significant momentum when the provider of recycling and resource recovery solutions first acquired Walshestown Restoration in 2024.
The 100-acre facility, located near Naas, County Kildare, is licensed to accept up to 330,000 tonnes of CD&E waste each year, predominantly waste soil and stone.
While the site already had wet processing capability prior to the acquisition, Enva sought a more robust and reliable solution that could match its ambitious plans for the facility. An upgrade of the existing plant was considered at first, but following a series of site visits across the UK & Ireland to see CDE’s waste recycling solutions in operation the Enva team made the decision to invest in a full, turnkey solution.
Enva’s managing director, Richard Kennedy, said: “We needed to modernise the equipment on site if we were to meet our ambitious targets now and into the future. An upgrade was the obvious starting point both from an operational and commercial standpoint, but it became clear that investing in a new plant would yield stronger, faster return on investment and also give us the headroom to scale.
“From the earliest concept design discussions, however, our primary objective was not simply throughput or recovery rates. We challenged the project team to design what we believe is the safest wash plant in the world to operate. Every major design decision was measured against its impact on operational safety, operator access, maintenance requirements and the elimination of avoidable risk. The resulting plant reflects a safety-first philosophy embedded throughout the entire design process.”
The brief to the CDE team was clear: Enva needed a plant capable of handling inert waste material, producing quality sand and aggregates for reuse, and removing bottlenecks in its day-to-day operations. Equally important was the requirement that safety be engineered into the plant from concept stage onwards, with a deliberate focus on minimising operator exposure to hazards, reducing maintenance intervention requirements and creating a safer working environment for operational teams. The plant also had to work within the site’s already established footprint. Walshestown is the only inert EPA licenced lined landfill in South Leinster and only one of two operating in Ireland.
CDE business development manager Garry Stewart said: “This was very much a collaborative design process. Our team brought the technical know-how and expertise in design, flow, process and build, but Enva had real experience in soil washing at its Portlaoise site and brought practical operational insights that helped shape the final design.
“A particular focus throughout the project was safety by design. Together, we reviewed how operators would interact with the plant throughout its lifecycle, including operation, inspection, cleaning and maintenance activities. This allowed us to incorporate features that reduce risk, improve access and support safer operation of the facility on a day-to-day basis.”
With a processing capacity of up to 180tph of brownfield CD&E waste, the CDE-engineered plant features the R-Series primary feeding and scalping screen for transfer point efficiency and maximum yield without compromising equipment life. An AggMax™ scrubbing and classification system integrated with CDE’s RotoMax™ logwasher combines pre-screening, scrubbing, organics removal, sizing, stockpiling, fines recovery and filtrates removal on a compact chassis, while the inclusion of an EvoWash™ sand wash system and Counter Flow Classification Unit (CFCU) wash and classify sand fractions by mass and density into saleable grades with precise cut-point control.
Water management is also built into the system by way of CDE’s AquaCycle™ high-rate thickener, which is capable of recycling up to 90% of process water for immediate re-use in the system, and a ProPress™ filter press which, in combination with the AquaCycle, helps recover up to 95% of its process water while also producing a filter cake by-product with a range of commercial applications.
The plant is currently recovering a range of recycled sand and aggregate products, including 0-2mm, 0-4mm, 4-6mm, 6-10mm, 10-20mm, 20-40mm, 40-80mm rinsed oversize, +80mm, and a filter cake. Combined, this extensive product suite is supporting high-value construction and critical infrastructure projects across the eastern region as well as specialist applications, such as sporting venues like Punchestown Racecourse, the home of Irish jump racing.
Beyond its processing performance, the Walshestown plant has been designed around a safety-first operating philosophy. Careful consideration was given to equipment layout, access arrangements, maintenance activities and overall plant operability during the concept and detailed design stages. The result is a facility that not only delivers industry-leading recycling performance but establishes a new benchmark for operational safety within the wash plant sector.
Commissioning of the new plant reflects the culmination of an eight-year relationship between Enva and CDE.
“We did our homework when it came to exploring the technology on the market,” Richard said.
“There’s no doubt about the capabilities of the plant. It’s performing exceptionally well. Just as importantly, the plant reflects the safety standards we set out to achieve at the beginning of the project. Our ambition was to create the safest wash plant in the world to operate and maintain, and the collaboration between Enva and CDE has enabled us to build a facility that sets a new benchmark for the industry.”
For more information about CDE and its waste recycling solutions, visit www.cdegroup.com.
