The deal will initially involve WEEE taken to household waste recycling sites in West Sussex, but the waste firm said it will be approaching other local authorities about the prospects of following suit.
” We shall be taking the proposal to other local authorities and offering this 'smart solution' to meet their particular requirements. “
– Bill Griffiths, Viridor
Electrolink is one of 37 approved producer compliance schemes for WEEE and is run by the Wastepack Group, which also operates a packaging compliance scheme.
Under the WEEE Regulations, producer compliance schemes funded by electronics producers will collect WEEE from designated collection facilities (DCFs) such as council sites from July 1.
Viridor, which unlike rivals like Biffa and Veolia has not formed its own WEEE producer compliance scheme, said the arrangement with Electrolink will avoid disrupting its operation of local authority recycling sites in West Sussex.
“Smart solution”
Bill Griffiths, Viridor recycling manager, explained: “Together with our customer West Sussex county council, Viridor has risen to the on-going challenge to maintain and improve the recycling service, whilst passing all costs associated with segregating and recycling WEEE onto obligated companies via a compliance scheme.
“This solution provides a clear way forward and we shall be taking the proposal to other local authorities and offering this 'smart solution' to meet their particular requirements,” he added.
A spokesman for Electrolink said: “This will deliver compliance by obligated companies to government in a practical way that secures the revenue streams for the operator of the household waste recycling sites. It also provides our obligated members with a fixed price and importantly an auditable method that ensures that from sites in this programme they will only pay for true WEEE from DCFs, as they are obliged to under the regulations.”
Site modifications
Phillip Russell, head of waste management at West Sussex county council said some modifications to the county's recycling sites would be required for the separate collection of WEEE. But he said householders would be given “safe, effective and environmentally sound” facilities for collecting electrical items from July 1.
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He said: “The recent improvements and planned modifications to our network of household waste recycling sites and transfer stations means this Authority is very well placed to work with Viridor and Electrolink to establish an excellent compliance system.”
Announcing the partnership with Electrolink, Viridor claimed that some other producer compliance schemes had “seriously underestimated the operating and licensing constraints in running a DCF and have therefore significantly underestimated the costs of running this recycling service for their obligated members”.
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