Valpak wins North East WEEE and batteries deal

Under the deal, which was let by the North Eastern Purchasing Organisation, the scheme will expand its existing work on Teesside to Tyne & Wear, providing a free of charge service for collecting and reprocessing WEEE and waste batteries. The contract runs for three years, with the potential to be extended for a further 12 months.

Valpak claims that, by procuring the deal together, the councils involved will be able to secure better value, as well as increasing levels of public awareness of WEEE and batteries recycling and negotiate better deals for the materials collected.

This work will also aim to encourage higher rates of re-use by working with local re-use businesses who refurbish white goods. These goods will be introduced back into the local community where needed.

And, in terms of reprocessing, Valpak is working with local organisations, such as metals recycling giant EMR, who process materials at Sunderland and Hartlepool. EMR will aim to allow plastics to be recycled completely in the UK.

Valpak will collect WEEE and batteries from the councils' civic amenity sites, although it will also work with the councils to examine the potential for extending battery collections during the contract period. Batteries will be collected on its behalf by West Midlands battery recycler G&P Batteries and a sub-contractor.

Service and value

Valpak's chief executive, Steve Gough, said: “Winning the NEPO (North Eastern Purchasing Organisation) tender has allowed Valpak to introduce an excellent level of service and value, associated with our Teesside service, across the whole of the North East.

“By procuring the service at this regional level, it has allowed Valpak to use the economies of scale and choice to secure more value for the authorities in the area, increase the levels of awareness of WEEE and battery recycling, negotiate better deals for the materials collected and ensure that more of the materials are recovered and reprocessed in the UK.”

“This is good news for both the councils in the area who have secured the contract and for the council tax payers in the area,” he added.

Teesside 

Valpak has been working with Teesside since 2007, when the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations came into force, and has funded a Waste Awareness Officer in the area for the last three years.

Since Valpak started work with NEPO in 2007, it has collected and had recycled over 3,500 tonnes per annum of electrical waste and batteries from the region. Going forward it hopes that this will increase to approximately 8,000 tonnes per annum with the inclusion of Tyne & Wear.

Commenting on the aims of the contract, Mr Gough said: “Our team is focussed on delivering the contract promises and we are confident that we will encourage more recycling, help to create more jobs and a better environment for those residing in the North East.”

The 10 councils involved in the contract are: Stockton on Tees, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Redcar & Cleveland, Darlington, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland.