Red tape concerning the transport of hazardous waste means the economics of recycling electrical items like fridges, televisions and fluorescent lamps "don't add up", logistics firm DHL has said.

The company which also runs one of the "big five" compliance schemes arranging recycling on behalf of electronics producers in the UK, said the regulations prevent it using the most economic and environmentally-friendly methods for collecting old appliances for recycling.

And, it believes the "disproportionate" costs might mean electrical items are not recycled, and remain in the waste stream.

It is in talks with the Environment Agency in the hope it can persuade the regulator to review regulations regarding hazardous waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) - which includes old-style CRT televisions, computer monitors, fridges and gas discharge lamps.

DHL wants to use efficient "multi-leg" distribution networks to pick up WEEE from collection points across the country in a similar way in which post, parcels and pallets are delivered.

But it is being hindered by the need for consignment notes to be issued at every stage of taking hazardous WEEE from end user to a recycling plant - and because every temporary storage site used along the way must be an approved transfer station.

"While we fully understand the Agency's need to control potentially hazardous waste at every stage of the supply chain, the current rules make economic recycling of specific items challenging," explained Paul James, head of DHL's WEEE scheme.

"While these rules appear sensible and far from onerous in isolation, in practice, when we are transporting thousands of items per day, the economics don't add up."

"Draconian"

DHL supports the idea of a set of standards that make sure WEEE is taken safely through the collection and recycling chain, it believes the current system is particularly "draconian" for cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and monitors.

"The hazardous material within these products is extremely well-contained and is most unlikely to cause harm to human health or the environment during transit," Mr James said.

He added: "The irony is that the same distribution networks are used to deliver new CRTs to homes and businesses throughout the UK, but as a 'new' product, they do not come under the same scrutiny."

The answer, it believes, would be to allow grouped items of hazardous WEEE to be covered by a single hazardous waste consignment note, which would accompany goods throughout the journey. This note would include details of an approved transport network carrier, rather than vehicle registration, as is currently the requirement.

Mr James said: "Such systems would be the obvious solution, as they provide a safe, efficient and accessible reverse logistics route for specific items such as IT equipment."

DHL believes there may be logistics businesses unwittingly operating illegal CRT waste services at present as a result of a lack of awareness of the regulations.

He explained: "Many transport providers in the WEEE market may not even be aware of this quirk within the regulations, and could be providing illegal collection services for items that are currently classed as hazardous waste.

"We'd like to see a simplified system or alternatively a process similar to that adopted on the Continent, when designated business drop-off points are set up to encourage the responsible recycling of items such as CRTs," Mr James said.