At least somebody has profited from the State’s €55 million waste of public money on the e-voting machine project. KMK Metals managing director Kurk Kyck confirmed yesterday that the company’s work on shredding the State’s 7,600 e-voting machines produced a profit for the firm, contributing to earnings of more than €1 million for the company last year. Mr Kyck said: “The e-voting machine work was very much profitable for us, but I would prefer not to say how much.” In June of last year KMK Metals Recycling Ltd won the tender for the machines when it signed a contract with the Department of the Environment to dismantle and recycle the State’s 7,600 e-voting machines after agreeing to pay the State €70,267. In the tendering for the works, four of the six unsuccessful tenders demanded money from the State to dispose of the machines, with one unidentified firm demanding €351,648 in fees to take the machines, while a second sought €181,701.
KMK – which employs 75 people – employed seven staff on the project to disassemble the machines.
The firm had a market for the shredded metal and plastic from the machines and Mr Kyck confirmed yesterday that no e-voting machines remain from the process. He said: “They have all been shredded.”
However, Mr Kyck said the firm found a use for the storage trolleys used with the e-voting machines: modified trolleys are now located throughout hardware and electrical stores in Ireland for the collection of waste electrical products.
Mr Kyck said that the e-voting machine work formed only a small part of the company’s €12 million revenue in 2012. “The e-voting machine work was very good for the company’s profile as the Government scrutinised every aspect of our work before awarding the contract and found us to be compliant in every way.”
Full Article: Shredding of e-voting machines ‘very profitable’ for recycling firm – The Irish Times – Mon, Aug 12, 2013.