ERC, which is a partnership between waste management company Yorwaste and consumer electronic experts DBS York Ltd, had already developed a system for the recycling of CRT's. (see letsrecycle.com story)
”We are already collecting thousands of televisions a year and we would like to roll out our service to the retailers themselves “
– David Binelli, ERC
The company also offers a nationwide collection service which it started in response to the impending hazardous waste regulations, which will prevent televisions being taken to landfill without treatment.
Because of their high lead content, CRTs are classed as a hazardous material and must be dealt with separately, with all contaminants to be removed before they are recycled.
But, David Binelli, ERC director, said that the company wants to begin collecting directly from retailers themselves. He said: “By offering a national collection service, we are able to provide companies with a full audit trail and duty of care, which gives them peace of mind that televisions are being disposed of in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner.
“We are already collecting thousands of televisions a year in this manner and we would like to roll out the service to the retailers themselves,” he added.
Markets
Collected televisions, which ERC currently picks up from all over the country, are taken to the company's premises on the outskirts of York, where they are disassembled before recycling.
ERC claims that it already has markets for over 90% of the recycled material produced during the CRT recycling process.
Steve Grieve, managing director at Yorwaste, said: “ERC designed and built one of the county's first commercially available CRT separation systems and the business the company is winning is reward for the foresight the company has shown in addressing the hazardous waste regulations and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.”
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