WERS started in Feb 1989 providing a wheelie bin service to customers in North Galway.

In the 1980’s the Gleeson family were a typical family living in North Galway and coming from a farming back ground. Unemployment was very high in the 1980’s the 3 Gleeson brother. Pat Martin and Paul were finished school and college and employment prospects were dismal.

Their father James Gleeson historically ran a dairy herd outside Tuam milking cows and distributing milk door to door in the Tuam area. He suggested to us that we put our resources together and restart the family business.

That they did and developed a huge customer base in North Galway and the dairy business went from strength to strength employing up 18 people.

In approximately June 1988 a local newspaper advertised that the local authorities were going to implement charges for the collection and disposal of waste.

This then planned a seed in Paul Gleeson’s head that waste would be a commercial business venture.

In the next 15 months, plans were put in place, bin truck and wheelie bins were purchased and the company formed, bin collection had started.

WERS were one of the first companies to introduce the wheelie bin system in the country. This was a new revolution in the collection of waste, gone were the old dust bins and 4 or 5 operators on the back a bin lorry manually lifting bags and dust bins of waste.

The experience we gained from the milk business and the support of our customers was invaluable to our success in setting up the waste company.