Recycling minister Lord Henley yesterday (August 26) paid tribute to Viridor's “impressive” waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling facility in St Helens as part of an ongoing tour of recycling sites across the country.
It is capable of processing up to 120 fridges, 60 televisions and six tonnes of discarded household equipment every hour.
Lord Henley requested a visit to the site, which was officially opened earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story), to see how WEEE is recycled.
He met with Viridor's regional director, Mark Burrows Smith and staff on site, where he witnessed the ways in which electrical products are separated and processed. Electrical components are separated for reuse and glass, metals and other recyclable materials are removed and further distributed for recycling.
On the visit, Lord Henley said: “WEEE is becoming a much bigger talking point with retailers and the general public, who are now beginning to realise what can and must be done to minimise waste to landfill.
“The technology at this Viridor facility is highly impressive and ensures that we recover useful resources from the items that are discarded, to benefit the environment and contribute to a sustainable approach to managing the UK's waste.”
Lord Henley's visit to the Viridor facility follows a trip to the North East last week, where he visited SITA UK's West Sleekburn materials recycling facility amongst other sites (see letsrecycle.com story).
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