All Intel Ireland facilities have to meet stringent regulations set down by the Irish Government's environmental watchdog, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Intel Ireland has an excellent record of compliance with the EPA's licensing regime, with air emissions consistently 75 — 95% below our license limits.
ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized quality system for environmental management in industry and Leixlip is the first Intel site worldwide that is ISO 14001 accredited. To further assist the environment, Intel Ireland adopts a stringent recycling programme; the site recycles more than 80% of the non–hazardous waste generated.
Safety is a fundamental value at Intel. The Leixlip site has the best safety record, both in operations and construction, of any location in Ireland. This makes it one of the safest places to work.
From 1994, Intel has been a sponsor of the River Rye which flows through the back of the Leixlip campus. It is a tributary of the famous River Liffey, which flows through Dublin city and it joins the Liffey near Leixlip. The Rye is the only significant salmon spawning and nursery stream in the Liffey catchments, downstream of Leixlip dam. Today, the river is a big attraction for game fishing and is home to the Leixlip Anglers. But it wasn't always like this. In 1993, the Rye was so overgrown with weeds from heavy silting that its natural fish habitat had been destroyed. Only a few salmon spawning beds had managed to survive given the problems with silting and bank side erosion.
In 1994, Intel agreed to sponsor a major enhancement of the River Rye. To maximise the Rye's potential as a natural salmon and trout habitat, Intel worked with the Zoology Department in University College Dublin (UCD), Central Fisheries Board and the Office of Public Works to plan and complete the work.
With funding from Intel, UCD continues to monitor progress and developments in the River Rye. The extensive database on the physical and environmental features of the river, which UCD had gathered both prior to and during the enhancement project in 1994, are used to assess the impact of the changes that were carried out. Indications are that fish numbers have increased significantly.
A team of interested people meet five times throughout the year to discuss the health of the river and plan areas for improvement. As a result of their meetings, a further enhancement project took place throughout 2005 and 2006 where spawning beds were constructed at designated points on the river. The group consists of representatives from Intel, Leixlip District Angling Association, the Water Balif, the Central Fisheries Board, Kildare County Council, Ryevale Resident's Association, Zoology Department UCD and Leixlip Town Council.
