Q. What are your main priorities and goals in your role?

I have been in the industry since 1997 and owner-manager of Ireland Waste Water which myself and my husband established in 2004. Since we began manufacturing and servicing Treatment Systems, Rainwater Harvesting Systems, Grease Traps and Pump Chambers in 2004 my priorities have been threefold, firstly, making sure the business operates effectively on a daily basis. Secondly, maintaining and building upon our position as one of the largest suppliers of domestic Waste Water Treatment Plants in Ireland. Thirdly, following the recent launch of our Circle7 tertiary treatment system, we want to continue to grow the business and it is the charge of both myself and my husband to lead that growth.

Q. What are your biggest challenges as CEO?

Scaling for growth. That said, its possibly the most welcome challenge of my past 10 years in this industry. Thankfully any of the challenges we faced over the years have been met with the support of family, friends and our dedicated staff. Having launched Circle7, our next biggest challenge is to establish ourselves in export markets which we plan to do in the coming years.

Q. How do you keep your team/staff motivated?

They are more than a team to us, they are family at this stage, which very much aligns with the ethos of our business. Communication is very important, so we work to be open and transparent on what’s going on and we encourage and trust each member of our team to take ownership of their roles. They know hard work and thrive on getting the job done.
We always acknowledge that our success is due to developing the competencies and capabilities of our employee and we provide our employees with training opportunities to continuously develop these skills.
I like to think that they see us as working shoulder to shoulder and that we don’t ask any more of them than we do of ourselves.

Q. What are the challenges facing the industry going forward?

Overcoming the “grey water” contamination problem in Irish households is a challenge we have already set out to combat with the creation of our new wastewater treatment system Circle 7. Because of an increasing usage of chemicals grey water is damaging septic tank & wastewater systems as they currently stand in homes all over the country, with the primary risk being contamination of the clean water supply into a home, as well as of the surrounding land.

Q. What new trends are emerging in your industry?

Over the last 5 years, we have definitely felt the growing demand for eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable solutions. As well as that, homeowners are looking for a solution that has a smaller footprint, to avoid the necessity of having to install raised beds to conceal the unit’s location.
Based on this, and our own convictions, all our products are designed to be eco-friendly. Our new Circle7 tertiary treatment system is recognized as having the potential to make a significant positive contribution to the development of rural housing in Ireland – something we are very proud of.

Q. Are there any major changes you would like to see in your sector?

We pride ourselves on our product design, development and manufacture to certified EU Standard through PIA (Prüfinstitut für Abwassertechnik GmbH). I would like for there to be greater visibility of the existence of uncertified wastewater system suppliers currently serving the market. If Ireland is going to advance in this area, all operators in the market need to be held to the Standards and best practice.
While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are doing a good job, I would like to see more providers go further the standards they attain. We have developed our products so that they conform to the highest international standards.

Q. As an employer are you finding any skill gaps in the market?

We are fortunate to have been able to retain key personnel during the downturn period and have begun to recruit new people in response to growth demands. However, there is a definite drain on resources in the country and we know from speaking with others in the sector that skills shortages are an issue.

Q. How did your strategy develop in the context of the banking crisis and economic crisis?

We were fortunate that we had a diversity of products and services for the commercial and agri sectors, which reduced our exposure to and dependency on the domestic household market. We did like every other business at the time, we focused on business development, doing quality work and providing excellent customer service and critically. We also started a significant phase of new product design and innovation so that we would be ready when the market returned.

Q. How will Brexit affect you, or have you started to feel the effects already?

We have worked to shield the business in terms of anticipating longer lead times and potential price hikes for material. We manufacture all of the core elements at our facility so, are not overly dependent on third party suppliers, but like any other business in Ireland, we are alert and keen to understand the real-time implications once Brexit is finalised.
We are looking to establish ourselves in other markets and our outlook is positive.

Q. How do you define success and what drives you to succeed?

Our yardstick for success has always lay with customer satisfaction. We are a solution-driven business. Our strategy has always been based on identifying real solutions for problems that exist in treating wastewater. We ask – can we develop a better solution, and can we do it to the highest possible standard, so we that we can provide a best-in-class product to our customers? It’s a long process to get these things just right – for example, Circle 7 took us over three years to bring the solution to the market – but it is worth it to deliver for our customers.

Q. What’s the best advice you’ve been given, or would give, in business?

Enjoy the journey from starting the business in the late 1990s to today. Also, each day we do our best to ‘control the controllables’.

Q. What have been your highlights in business over the past year?

Without doubt it was the recent launch of our Circle 7 Tertiary Waste Water Treatment System. It is a genuinely innovative invention that will purify wastewater in homes, schools, factories and businesses throughout rural Ireland to a higher standard than what’s currently achievable, saving them thousands of Euro in the process. It reimagines the traditional flawed septic tank process which, when not managed correctly, is a risk for contaminating the land and the water system. It provides a new system to treat wastewater by taking household waste, percolating it using an advanced filtration system and bringing it to a near drinking water standard.

Q. What’s next for your company?

We don’t intend to stand still, with 20 years of activity behind us! Our business development plan is well underway for national growth and entry into new export markets.

Q. Where do you want your business/brand to be this time next year?

Well on our way to fulfill our vision for Circle 7’s to be part of every new domestic wastewater treatment plant in Ireland, after which we will look to the UK and US markets.

“We are looking to establish ourselves in other markets and our outlook is positive”

Source:
https://businessandfinance.com/ceo-ireland-waste-water/

Irish water treatment company Ireland Waste Water (IWW) has launched a new product that it claims will revolutionise the industry in Ireland and across Europe.

The Cork-based family firm has developed the Circle 7 product, which treats waste water by percolation using an advanced filtration system that returns it to near drinking water standard. Circle 7 can be fitted to new and existing waste water treatment plants to vastly improve the quality of the system, it said.

IWW founders Niall and Mary Mulcahy spent three years with significant investment in creating Circle 7 and have invested more than 20pc of IWW’s profits into the invention, it said.

The company said it expected the product to double the size of IWW and it recently purchased new land to allow for an expansion of its premises. It is planning to recruit ten new employees, doubling the size of the workforce over the next five years.

The total septic tank market in Ireland is estimated to be worth more than €3bn.

Source: https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/cork-firm-eyes-3bn-market-with-product-38124879.html

The team at Ireland Waste Water would be delighted if you could join us for the official launch of our revolutionary new
Circle7 Tertiary Treatment System
 at the
 Oriel House Hotel, Ballincollig, Co. Cork
on
Friday 10th May 2019 at 12 noon
followed by lunch at 1pm

Among special guests, dignitaries and friends
Jim Daly, TD Minister of State 
 will officially launch the new Advanced Package Tertiary Treatment
Certified to the EN12566-7 CE Mark. 

Suitable for both domestic and commercial uses,
the product has been certified up to 50 PE and tested by the PIA

Representatives from both PIA and a major innovative European wastewater company will also be in attendance.

Location: Oriel House Hotel, Main St., Ballincollig, Co. Cork. Google Maps

We look forward to welcoming you on the day! 
 

Yours sincerely,

Mary Mulcahy
Ireland Waste Water 

Circle 7 is a genuinely innovative invention that will purify waste water in homes, schools, factories and businesses throughout rural Ireland to a higher standard than what’s currently achievable, saving them thousands of Euro in the process. It reimagines the traditional flawed septic tank process which, when not managed correctly, is a risk for contaminating the land and the water system. Circle 7 provides a new system to treat waste water by taking household waste, percolating it using an advanced filtration system and bringing it to a near drinking water standard.

 “An ongoing problem with waste water from
Irish households is the growing use of chemicals which is leading to an
increase in the amount of ‘grey water’. Grey water is damaging septic tank
& wastewater systems as they currently stand in homes all over the country,
with the primary risk being contamination of the clean water supply into a
home, as well as of the surrounding land.”

The
added bonus of our system is that it will actually save homeowners €5,000 over
5 years – at least, because there is no desludging required; no parts
replacement, no media filter replacement and no Pumps needed and a small foot
print in the ground.

Are you upgrading your existing septic tank to a new septic tank/ sewage treatment system?

Do you know you can get up to €4050 to pay towards your new septic tank/ sewage treatment system under the Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) Scheme.

The Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) Scheme provides for tax relief for Homeowners and Landlords by way of an Income Tax credit at 13.5% of qualifying expenditure on repair, renovation or improvement works carried out on a main home or rental property by qualifying Contractors.

The amount of the HRI tax credit depends on the amount spent on qualifying works. Tax relief can be claimed on qualifying expenditure over €4,405 (before VAT at 13.5%) per property. This €4,405 (before VAT) can be the total from any number of jobs carried out and paid for from 25 October 2013 to 31 December 2015 for Homeowners claiming on their main home and on or after 15 October 2014 and up to 31 December 2015 for Landlords claiming on their rental property. While there is no upper limit on expenditure on qualifying works, the tax credit will only be given in relation to a maximum of €30,000 (before VAT at 13.5%) per property.

2015 will be the first year for HRI tax credits for Homeowners and 2016 for Landlords. In general, the HRI tax credit will be included in tax credits over two years, starting the year after the work is carried out and paid for.

Qualifying works carried out between 25 October 2013 and 31 December 2013 and paid for by Homeowners during that period will be treated as if they were paid for in 2014 for tax credit purposes.

Qualifying works carried out between 15 October 2014 and 31 December 2014 and paid for by Landlords during that period will be treated as if they were paid for in 2015 for tax credit purposes

Septic tank repair or replacement qualifies for this grant

Check out the FAQ’s on the revenue page http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/reliefs/hri/hri-general-faqs.html#section1

For homeowners, 2015 is the first year in which you can claim a HRI credit. The claim facility is available now for homeowners on HRI online.

For landlords, 2016 will be the first year in which a HRI credit can be claimed. The claim facility on HRI online will be available for landlords from January 2016.

Checklist for applying::

• Details of the work carried out
• Ensure that you have paid or arranged to pay any Local Property Tax (LPT) or Household Charge that is due
• Check that your contractor has a VAT number and is tax-compliant – see Revenue’s FAQs for details of the proof required
• Ensure that the work qualifies – see ‘Qualifying work’ above
• Keep all supporting documentation – tax clearance certificates, estimates, receipts etc.
• Give the contractor the LPT Property ID of your property but not your PIN or PPSN

Check out our fully certified septic tanks with large storage capacity saving you money and our tanks are future-proof as they can easily be upgraded to sewage treatment tank at a later stage

https://www.irelandwastewater.ie/our-products/domestic/septic-tanks/

Check out our fully certified sewage treatment tank saving you up to €1000*every 5 years, and our sewage treatment tank only costs €40 per annum to run with our energy saving cycle

https://www.irelandwastewater.ie/our-products/domestic/domestic-euro-bio-systems/

We can cater for

• Individual Houses
• Small Communities
• Commercial Enterprises
• Caravan Parks
• Golf Courses