Agency launches WEEE phone campaign
A dedicated team of staff will be calling companies who have been identified as potentially being producers to find out if they need to register. Those that are found to be manufacturing, importing of re-branding electronic products for the UK market will have to pay for their share of UK collection and recycling targets for WEEE. While companies who are unaware of the regulations will be given a chance to comply, those who have deliberately flouted the rules will face enforcement action, however.
Liz Parkes, head of waste at the Environment Agency, said: “We realise that as with any new legislation, the regulations may be news to many smaller producers. So, as part of a targeted telephone campaign, we will be calling 4,500 companies who might need to be registered. Our overall priority for 2007 is to ensure those affected by the change in the law are aware of their responsibilities under the new regulations.”
Fridge recycler installs hydrocarbon machine
The company's director, Dean Overton, said that “responsible” producer compliance schemes sending items to be recycled under the WEEE Regulations wanted fridge plants to include facilities to remove hydrocarbons from fridges being recycled. His company is licensed to process 75,000 tonnes of WEEE each year with its Adelmann VA3S fridge recycling machine.
“Section 51 of the Government's guidance on BATRRT (Best Available Treatment Recovery & Recycling Technique) is absolutely clear that from 1st July all fridges and freezers containing hydrocarbons should have their fluids removed under safe conditions, in accordance with the Dangerous Substances & Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002,” Mr Overton said.
WEEE recycling information published online
Valpak is using its “recycle more” website to steer householders towards designated collection facilities (DCF) for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
The Stratford-upon-Avon company is running the national Distributors Takeback Scheme under the new WEEE Regulations, which allows retailer members to point customers to their nearest official DCF to recycle old electrical appliances. The website has been running since the year 2000 to provide recycling information on behalf of Valpak's packaging producer members. It allows consumers to type in their postcode to find their nearest recycling site.
Valpak chief executive Steve Gough said: “In the UK the amount of electrical waste we create in one year would fill the new Wembley six times. We are eager to convey this message to consumers, and provide relevant recycling information to encourage everyone to recycle more.”
ACM seeks secrets from the Orient
The waste and recycling company has signed a formal co-operation agreement with electronics and machinery firm The Shaanxi Huanghe Group. The firm based in Xi'an, China, will begin developing recycling equipment for the UK and Europe.
ACM's chief executive Andy Jacobs said: “They see us as being instrumental in helping them expand into Europe. The environment is now firmly on the Chinese Government's agenda and Shaanxi Huanghe Group believes that China will soon be ready to invest in environmental technology on a large scale.”
Town centre bins boost recycling
Town centre recycling bins in Bicester have been hailed a success after 30 bags of waste were collected in one week.
The two recycling bins – one marked blue for papers and another marked orange for cans and plastic bottles – were installed as part of Cherwell District Council's latest Neighbourhood Blitz campaign.
Cherwell's environment portfolio holder Councillor Kieron Mallon said: “The on-street recycling bins have been extremely successful in Bicester. In the first week after we installed them, we collected 30 bags of material from the on-street bins – that's stuff we can now send for recycling rather than dump, as we would have had to with ordinary bins.”
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