Green Limerick: Family-run local business shortlisted for prestigious award

A FAMILY-owned Limerick-based company, has been announced as a finalist for the 2024 Pakman Awards.

Southill-based Limerick Polymers Production (LPP) is nominated for the Waste Recycling and Recovery Facility award for the second year in a row.

The Pakman Awards are Ireland’s leading national environmental awards which recognise and celebrate excellence in recycling and waste management across businesses, organisations and community groups.

Last year, LPP was announced the winner in the same category and won the overall Pakman award in 2022.

A plastics subsidiary of the Fesua Group, LPP is one of Ireland’s largest family-owned recycling groups.

It operates a state-of-the-art plastic recycling facility in Southill and is “committed to helping Ireland reach its 2025 recycling targets”.

READ MORE: Limerick-born CEO closer to ‘tackling climate crisis’

The facility produces bales of single colour, single polymer plastic packaging with purity of more than 98%. It now operates 24 hours per day and can process over 70,000 tonnes of both flexible and rigid plastic packaging per annum.

LPP aims to showcase Ireland as the European leader for recycling post-consumer plastic with future projects, meaning LPP will process 105,000 tonnes of plastic in 2025.

The 10th annual Pakman Awards will also see the addition of two new categories including Best Deposit Return Initiative and Best Single Use Plastic Initiative.

The Pakman Awards, led by non-profit environmental organisation Repak, are regarded as one of the most prestigious accolades in the environmental sector, honouring those who lead in sustainability and environmental efforts.

This year, twelve winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on Thursday, October 24.

Each category winner is eligible for the Overall Pakman Award, which celebrates outstanding achievements in recycling and waste management over the past year.

Last year’s Overall Pakman Award was won by the grassroots community project, The Killarney Park & The Ross, which promoted Killarney’s transition to a circular economy by becoming the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups.

A highlight of this year’s awards will be a charity draw, where three nominated charities or community organisations, each selected by attendees, will receive a €1,000 donation each.

Ossian Smyth, Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, said: “The 2024 Pakman Awards are a great way to show what people, communities, and organisations can achieve by working together for a more sustainable future.

“These awards honour those leading Ireland's move to a Circular Economy and help spread awareness about reducing waste and keeping resources useful for as long as possible.”

The 2024 Pakman Awards are sponsored by AMCS, Circol ELT, Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, Enviroguide Consulting, Environmental Protection Agency, European Recycling Platform, Irish Waste Management Association, Panda, Producer Register Limited and WEEE Ireland.