About KMK

Our Story

• Established in 1979, KMK Metals Recycling’s humble beginnings were in the garage of Kurt and Edeltraud Kyck’s house in Bettystown, Co. Meath, where they started buying and selling metal.
• In 1985, they set up a metals recycling facility in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, where the company is still head-quartered, employing six people at first.
• The company continued to grow, developing a strong reputation and in 2004, KMK Metals Recycling was awarded the all-Ireland fridge disposal contract, which accelerated its expansion.
• Improved regulation of the collection, recycling and disposal of WEEE has been law at European level since 2003 (WEEE Directive) and was brought into Irish law (WEEE Regulations) in 2005. That year, Ireland’s two compliance schemes, WEEE Ireland and the European Recycling Platform (ERP) were formed and KMK Metals Recycling was awarded contracts to collect and recycle WEEE from all around the country.
• Due to the hazardous nature of batteries, separate legislation for the management of waste batteries was transposed into Irish law in 2008. KMK Metals Recycling was by now the national sorting centre of waste consumer batteries and entered into a training and education programme with Dutch battery experts Van Peperzeel.
• In 2012, KMK Metals Recycling was the preferred bidder in the tender process to recycle the Government’s ill-fated e-voting machines. As a result, the company made a donation of €10,000 to Irish Children’s charity, Barretstown.
• The new WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU came into force in August 2012 and became effective in February 2014. The attainment of WEEELABEX (the WEEE label of excellence) for all operators treating WEEE was mandated through the WEEE Regulations. KMK Metals Recycling applied and in 2015, became the first WEEE treatment operator in Ireland to have achieved the Standard.
• In 2016, KMK Metals Recycling acquired a second facility in Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath where it processes flat panel display (FPD) units, liquid crystal displays (LCD), large household appliances and further treating of plastic from small household appliances. In 2018, KMK Metals Recycling Kilbeggan passed its WEEELABEX audit.
• In 2019, Kurt Kyck was elected as President of the European Electronics Recyclers Association (EERA).
• In 2020, KMK Metals Recycling was granted an EPA IED Licence (P1076-01) for its Kilbeggan facility, authorising it to accept 50,000 tonnes of material for recycling and recovery per annum. Construction activity also began to roof and extend some of the buildings in the Tullamore facility. The company also obtained Type 3 WEEELABEX certification for its Fines Treatment process at the Kilbeggan site.
• In 2021, KMK Metals Recycling achieved certification to the WEEELABEX/CENELEC Standard for LHA treatment. Many construction projects were completed at the Tullamore facility.
• 2022 saw KMK Metals Recycling take on three massive projects with the first one being the installation of a large solar panel system at both facilities, which has proved very effective recently due to the rise in energy prices. The second project saw the completion of a large extension which paved the way for the third project which was the purchase of new state of the art sorting technology, thus improving their metal plastic fraction output. The company also developed a biodiversity area on the Kilbeggan site and is now part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. A donation was made to Kilbeggan Tidy Towns to assist the development of their habitat area and upkeep of the town. The company also purchased four EV vehicles which replaced some company vans, preparing for a more sustainable future.
• In 2023 KMK Metals Recycling installed a new Flatscreen Robot (ALR4000) for processing LCD TVs. This is a unique process which allows for the safe removal of the mercury elements of the TV in order to process the material safely.
• 2024 witnessed KMK Metals Recycling celebrating the milestone of 45 years in business and the achievement of R2 certification for handling focus bearing material and equipment containing data. KMK also added four EV forklifts to the fleet as the company continues its transitions from diesel to electric. In April 2024, KMK Metals Recycling also expanded its solar PV system at Tullamore and is now approximately generating 44% of its own electricity.