Ward Waste Products Ltd in Tournafulla, Co. Limerick has been providing a professional fallen animal collection service for over 60 years. The family-run business also specialises in all aspects of waste management, including general haulage and skip hire.
Operating all over Munster under the Department of Agriculture’s Fallen Animals Scheme, Ward Waste Products was established in 1962 by the late Peter Ward Snr and is now run by his children Johnie, Petie, Miranda and Delia with the help of 43 staff. The company continues to go from strength to strength by offering a fast, efficient, value-for-money and fully-licensed service for the collection and disposal of fallen livestock as well as for the other services it provides.
The Ward team is equipped to collect dead animals across the Mid-West and ensures that every animal is treated with the utmost compassion whilst also adhering to all the relevant hygiene, Health & Safety and legislative requirements. The animal is taken back to Ward’s Tournafulla base for testing before being sent to any one of the rendering plants the company deals with. These include Waterford Proteins, Western Proteins, Munster Proteins and Dublin Products.
“We provide a reliable daily collection service for fallen animals in our area,” Johnie Ward explains.
“When our driver arrives at the farm, the first thing he does is check the tag and herd number. He fills out the paperwork and disposes the animal in our designated Category 2 shed. We used to remove the hides, but not anymore because it’s no longer financially viable.
“Our girls in the office then go through the paperwork and get it ready for Department of Agriculture testing and samples. The cattle are tested for BSE and the sheep for TSE. Everything is inspected by Department of Agriculture vets and officers before the animal is transported to the rendering plant.”
With the collection of fallen animals being seasonal work (springtime is the busiest), Ward Waste Products’ other services keep it busy for the rest of the year. These include liquid waste, skip hire, general waste and recycling.
“If it’s anything to do with waste, we have you covered,” Petie Ward says.
“Our main work revolves around animal waste. Collecting fallen stock is obviously the biggest one, but we also transport pig and beef slurry, and offal which goes to the rendering plants. We service meat plants such as Dawn Meats and ABP.
“In addition, we provide skip hire and transport general waste for Clean Ireland Recycling in Shannon to the Covanta Dublin Waste to Energy plant in Ringsend and Forge Hill Recycling in Cork. Covanta processes waste that cannot be reused or recycled, and generates clean energy while protecting the environment. We hold all the relevant waste facilities and transport permits.
“We’re a one-stop shop for all your waste needs.”
Ward Waste Products runs a modern fleet of 30 trucks and 61 trailers. All but three of the trucks are Scania, with the others being DAF (two) and Volvo. In order for any haulage operation to thrive for so long, investment is required and the Ward’s have never been reluctant to spend money on new equipment. To this end, they purchased two stunning new Scania R660s from T Nolans Scania in Castleisland, Co. Kerry last year, while they have also invested in a new Scania P280 rigid which was being fitted with a tipper body and an Atlas HIAB crane by Hegarty’s Vehicle Works in Killarney at the time of writing.
“We have a clear preference for Scania because of their comfort, reliability and fuel efficiency. They have served us well over the years and we get a great aftersales service from Nolan’s who are only close by,” Johnie points out.
The trucks are a mix of rigids which are used for fallen animal collections, and artics which are used for transporting animal, liquid and general waste. The trailers are made up of bulk tippers (42), walking floors (eight), ejectors (five), vacuum tankers (three), curtainsiders (two) and flat (one).
Ward Waste Products’ top-class and friendly service hasn’t been compromised by rising fuel costs or staff shortages.
“We’re lucky to have such good staff because not everyone is cut out for the type of work we do. We also do a lot of our moving out-of-hours in the summertime out of respect to the public. No-one wants to get caught behind a lorry that smells, so we try to keep it to a minimum.”
To summarise, Ward Waste Products is one of Munster’s leading animal and general waste collection companies. It works across the domestic, commercial and farming sectors offering services that range from general domestic, food waste collection, demolition and site clearance to dead animal and offal collection from local farms and meat plants.
The long-established family business has licences, vehicles and the expertise to collect and dispose of your waste safely with minimal disruption to you and minimal environmental impact. Ward Waste Products would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as its staff for their hard work, dedication and skill.
Ward Waste Products Ltd
Knocknadihna,
Tournafulla,
Newcastle West,
Co. Limerick.
Tel: 069 81086 / 087 268 2381 (Johnie) / 087 271 0928 (Petie)
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 11 No 3, May/June 2023
