Donegal Waste & Recycle working for a cleaner future
13/04/2026
When it comes to the vital task of promoting environmental awareness in the North-West, nobody is doing more than Donegal Waste & Recycle. Trading for over 50 years, the third-generation family business offers a wide range of solutions to customers across Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.
These are exciting times for Donegal Waste & Recycle which recently bolstered its fleet by investing in two stunning new Scania trucks. The Donegal Town-headquartered company took delivery of a Scania P410 6x2 waste disposal truck from Cawley Commercials in Sligo last spring, and that was followed by the arrival of a Scania P410 6x2 skip lorry from the same dealer in September. They have proven to be fantastic additions to its 25-strong Scania fleet.
Last year, the company achieved three prestigious ISO certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 9001. These certifications reflect its commitment to excellence in environmental management, health and safety, and quality assurance.
“We’re going from strength to strength,” a spokesperson enthuses.
“We celebrated 50 years in business in 2024 and have a growing customer-base stretching from Glencolmcille to Letterkenny, Donegal to Sligo and Leitrim. Our head office is in Donegal Town where we opened a new recycling facility in 2019, while we also have a depot in Glenties. The three main services we provide are domestic and commercial waste, recycling and food waste collection, skip hire services and tanker services / septic tank cleaning.
“The business has come a long way since it was founded by Sonny Molloy over half a century ago. His son Shaun took over from him and now Shaun’s son Shane is at the helm with the fourth-generation started.
“Shane continues to grow and drive the business with the help of his family and up to 35 staff. Our long-term staff are our greatest asset. It’s a real all-round team effort.
“We pride ourselves on our commitment to sustainability and responsible waste management. Our team works hard to recycle as much waste as possible, ensuring that we play our part in preserving the environment for future generations.
“Our goal is to provide reliable and cost-effective waste management services to all our customers, big or small, without compromising on quality. With competitive pricing and a variety of options to choose from, we make it easy for you to keep your property clean and safe.”
As businesses go, Donegal Waste & Recycle is one of Donegal’s most impressive success stories. Established in 1974 in Glenties, the multifaceted operation has embraced many changes in the waste and recycling sector down through the years and continues to lead the way. Sonny Molloy started the business with a tractor and trailer around the villages of Glenties, Ardara and Dunkineely.
He had the distinction of introducing the first compactor truck in Donegal in 1974. In another first in 2005, Donegal Waste & Recycle became the first contractor in the Tír Chonaill County to distribute a two-wheelie bin collection – blue for recyclable and black for residual. The family business was also first in Donegal with the food waste brown caddy bin service as part of its domestic and commercial waste collection services.
“Food waste is a big thing now and 95% of our customers in the agglomerations have the third bin – the brown one for food waste. We offer a 25-litre brown caddy bin to our domestic customers and a 140-litre bin to commercial customers."
Other milestones in the company’s proud history were the opening of a brand-new, state-of-the-art recycling facility in Donegal Town in the latter half of 2019 and the introduction of much-sought-after tanker services, including septic tank and drain cleaning, grease trap cleaning, oil interceptor cleaning and CCTV camera inspection.
The success of Donegal Waste & Recycle is largely down to the industry, vision and investment of the Molloy family.
“We’re truly fortunate to have such dedicated office staff and drivers who’ve been with us for so many years. It’s great to be in a position to be able to provide the communities with local employment and to also be able to sponsor local sports teams and community groups."
Donegal Waste & Recycle has built a remarkable legacy of excellence in waste collection, skip hire, and tanker services, with a future that looks every bit as successful.
“It’s all positive and we are growing all the time. We have a very good customer-base covering Donegal and parts of Sligo and North Leitrim.
The company intends to broaden its footprint towards prioritising the development of the company,” the spokesperson concluded.
Here’s to the next 50 years!
Donegal Waste & Recycle,
Ardlenagh,
Donegal Town,
Co. Donegal.
Tel: 074 974 0130
Email: [email protected]
Web: donegalwasteandrecycle.com
First published in Irish Trucker magazine March/April 2026, Vol 29-2
