Celebrating a decade in business, VK Agri Recycling has established itself as the leading recycler of black plastic and other unwanted farmyard materials in Connacht. We caught up with founder / proprietor Vincent Kearney to find out more about this outstanding, IFFPG-endorsed operation.
Formed in 2006, VK Agri Recycling is a licensed contractor of the IFFPG (Irish Farm Film Producers Group – Ireland’s only approved farm plastics recycling compliance scheme). The company’s main objective has always been to provide an efficient and low cost service to farmers throughout the Connacht region.
This impressive family-run business has increased its customer numbers year on year and now provides an exceptional service to over 15,000 customers. Vincent is joined in the business by his wife Geraldine and son Vincent Jnr, while his daughters Niamh, Dearbhla and Siobhan also help out. VK Agri Recycling takes most plastic-based materials off farms for recycling, with round bale plastic and pit covers accounting for the majority of materials collected and recycled.
Materials can be collected in one of three ways: farmers may take them to one of the 40+ designated bring centres located in all five counties across the province (mainly in livestock marts as well as some private yards); they can be removed directly from the farmyard; or they can be dropped directly into the fully-permitted and –licensed VK Agri Recycling processing facility in Ballina.
As well as bale wrap and pit covers, other agri waste materials recycled include bulk / small fertiliser and feed bags, netting and twine, and chemical containers. All materials are taken back to VK’s state-of-the-art recycling facility in Ballina and processed accordingly in a professional and environmentally-friendly manner.
The genesis of VK Agri Recycling dates back to a chance meeting at the National Ploughing Championships. “I was doing a bit of contracting at the time and happened to be at the ploughing championships in Carlow,” Vincent recalls. “I met a man who was looking for somebody in Mayo to collect and recycle plastics from farms, and that’s how it started. The FRS (Farm Relief Services) were contracted to do it at the time and I became a contractor for them, covering Mayo.”
Vincent had no idea at the time that this was an area in which he could potentially set up a dedicated company… “I started to collect with a tractor and trailer but the whole thing slowed down and came to a halt with the Foot & Mouth outbreak. I started again in 2005, working for the IFFPG, and the company was established in ’06.”
Hand in hand with a thriving recycling sector, VK Agri Recycling has evolved into a thoroughly professional and organised operation. “BPI in Scotland was the only outlet accepting farm plastic for recycling at the time and you actually had to pay them to take it off you. Things have gone the other way now and there is more demand for the plastic.”
As a farmer himself, Vincent fully understands the needs and mindsets of those he collects from. Regarding the collection of the plastic / film, every effort is taken to ensure convenience for farmers. “We cover every mart in Connacht, setting up a stall for the day where farmers can drop off their plastic and wraps. There is a small charge, payable by weight and you could have more than 400 passing through the bring centre per day.
“This year we will be at 39 marts across the province, covering every nook and cranny. We haul the material back to our yard and process it there. We also provide a service where we can go out and collect the plastic on the farm but naturally that is a little bit more expensive.
“Black plastic from bales and pit covering is the biggest part of the business. We collect that from the farmers and then bale it here in the yard, before shipping it off, usually to Scotland or Holland.”
Gainful employment is generated for a crew of eight and Vincent operates a fleet of five lorries – three smaller trucks plus two artics. Six of the lads are with Vincent from the start and he says the company wouldn’t be what it is today without them.
“We generally collect between April and July and then bale it and have the yard clear every year between December and January,” he notes.
“We focus 100% on farm materials – all plastics,” the Mayo man continues. “We don’t go near any domestic waste or anything like that. We are contracted by the IFFPG to cover Connacht for them and are currently in the second year of our third five-year contract.”
The fact that he’s a farmer / contactor himself certainly works in Vincent’s favour. Farmers see him as one of their own and are always more than happy to work with him. “I do a good job and get on with everybody,” he states. “As I’m in the farming sector myself, I do understand farmers, how they work and how they think. They all know me locally and I like to think they see me as one of their own.”
As for his own farming enterprise, the proprietor of VK Agri Recycling concludes: “I got out of dairy farming about ten years ago and went into sucklers, with some of the herd pedigree Charolais. I still do a small bit of baling and slurry contracting as well but the agri recycling takes up most of my time and ties in nicely with the farming.”
VK Agri Recycling,
Cloonalaghan,
Carrowmore Lacken
Ballina,
County Mayo.
Tel: 086 8709220
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.vkagrirecycling.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 5, June 2016
