The alliance between Croydon-based Recolight, which offers a waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) producer compliance scheme for gas discharge lamps, and the London-based WEEE compliance scheme European Recycling Platform (ERP) is intended to offer organisations obligated to collect batteries, under the UK Battery regulations, the opportunity to collect both waste batteries and waste energy-saving light-bulbs.
Under the deal, ERP will offer battery collections free-of-charge to those using Recolight lamp collection points, while Recolight will offer ERP battery compliance scheme membership to its own WEEE producer compliance scheme members.
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The move was welcomed by minister for waste Dan Norris, who said: “I am pleased to hear of this development. Defra encourages practical and innovative ways to increase recycling and reduce CO2 emissions.”
Announcing the partnership, Nigel Harvey, Recolight chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be working with ERP. By combining two waste streams, we can use the same transport infrastructure for both products, helping to reduce CO2 emissions. And for retailers and wholesalers with busy delivery schedules, it also cuts down the number of vehicles entering the site, and the associated paperwork.
“Recolight is committed to maximising the recycling of gas discharge lamps. By offering lamp collections to retailers who are required to collect batteries from February 2010, we will be able to drive up energy saving light-bulb collections,” he added.
Scott Butler, general manager at ERP, said: “This is a solution in which every organisation wins: retailers have the chance to offer a new service to their customers, ERP can enhance its collection network, and Recolight gets a further rise in energy saving light-bulb collections.”
ERP has submitted a battery compliance scheme application that is currently in progress (see letsrecycle.com story), and already manages battery recycling in Ireland, Finland, Spain, Denmark and Austria.
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