In the county of Louth one huge employer is going out of their way to do their bit for the environment by reducing the amount of packaging waste. Heinz Dundalk has been heralded for their efforts in this area and rightly garnered a Repak award. Being efficient and getting the most out of what is at your disposal easily fits into the remit of an inter-county manager and is part of the reason the Louth footballers have reached new heights over the past two years. In business it is no different and Heinz Dundalk has embraced this ethos and was duly rewarded under the Repak Recycling Awards. This scheme was initiated to recognise the efforts and ingenuity of its business members, local authorities, collectors and young people in the area of packaging prevention, reuse and recycling. The objective of the Repak Awards is to promote and encourage good recycling practice amongst industry, local authorities, waste contractors and the youth of today. The Awards Ceremony held in Dublin was attended by over 250 key industry figures, politicians and local authorities with a high level of competition in all categories. There were twelve awards presented on the night of which Heinz Dundalk were the recipient of the Best Packaging Waste Prevention Initiative 2007, having fought off stiff competition. Minister for the Environment, John Gormley with Andrew Hetherington, CEO Repak and Gerry Byrne, EPA presented the award at a gala dinner. Indeed it was a proud night for the Wee County as the Repak Local Authority of the Year 2007 went to Louth County Council. The award to Heinz Dundalk recognises the outstanding achievements of the company in recycling and minimisation of packaging. Some examples of waste prevention initiatives implemented by Heinz were changing from a 20 litre wine drum to a bulk returnable unit which equated to 8 tonnes less plastic generated per year. Additionally reducing the weight of CPET tray represented 59 tonnes less plastic generated per year and changing from outer case to shrink wrap represented 250 tonnes less corrugated generated per year. The site at Dundalk recycled 100% of all corrugated cardboard, 95% of all plastic used, 99% of all steel used and 99% of all wood used. Those are amazing figures and show just how committed the company is to the environment. The judges included external environmental experts, David Pearse (President of the Chambers in Ireland), Collette O'Connor (Managing Editor of Shelf Life Ireland magazine), Brian Meaney (EPS), Hugh Stevens (EI), and Avine McNally (Small Firms Association). Naturally it was a great day for all associated with the company's operations with Plant Manager Stuart Lawson rightly proud of the award. "We were very proud to receive the Repak award for Best Packaging Waste Prevention Initiative at the annual awards ceremony in Dublin," explained Stuart. "It compliments the whole team, from operators to management, for their attention to detail and performance, but also is indicative of how highly the Heinz team at Dundalk focus on reducing the impact on the environment." The award goes to show how Heinz Dundalk strive for excellence in everything they do and the parallels with the footballers of Louth is there for all to see, especially given the county's rise to prominence under Eamonn McEneaney's management over the past two years. Let's hope that more silverware will come to the county in 2008 in the shape of a Leinster championship. Tweet

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