Welsh ELV firms given four weeks to meet green standards

While the Agency has given dismantlers across England and Wales a 12-month “hands off” period after the ELV Regulations 2003 were brought in, officers have revealed to letsrecycle.com that “dozens” of sites are still non-compliant in Wales.

”So far, only a handful of operators in North Wales have reached the required standard.“
– Lynda Bigland, EA
The 2003 regulations – bringing in European standards under the ELV Directive – mean vehicle dismantlers must upgrade their sites with proper drainage and de-pollution equipment so their activities do not harm the environment.

While the deadline for complying has passed for operators in the South East and South West regions of Wales, the Agency has now set a “final deadline” for firms in the northern region to meet the terms of the regulations by the end of February.

The Agency said it is “trying to work with people on this, but some people don't seem to want to bother” with the environmental standards.

Public
The Agency is already warning members of the public that all cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles should only be disposed of at fully licensed and approved sites.

The depollution regulations cover the removal of scrap batteries, tyres, catalyst exhausts, mercury switches and harmful fluids from motor vehicles, which are hazardous.

Agency officers have warned they will crack down on all sites that are still operating illegally and operators will be served with a notice to remove all vehicles which have not been depolluted.

Enforcement
Operators that do not fully comply with the minimum standards set out in the regulation will also face formal enforcement action and be served with a notice to comply, or cease removing hazardous components from end-of-life vehicles.

Lynda Bigland, a waste regulatory officer with the Environment Agency Wales, told letsrecycle.com: “Most vehicle dismantlers have known for over a year now that the regulations would be fully enforced. So far, only a handful of operators in North Wales have reached the required standard.

Disparity
She explained: “This creates disparity between sites, as some operators have embraced the changes wholeheartedly and have invested heavily to ensure environmental protection. The harm to our environment is too important to ignore. The industry has a good record for recycling motor vehicles and it is hoped that they will rise to the new environmental challenges facing them. ”

The Agency has met with industry this week to negotiate how shredder residues are to be dealt with in regard to the ELV Regulations and the hazardous waste rules in the Landfill Directive. An announcement from the Agency is expected on Monday, as the deadline passes on the sending of potentially hazardous shredder residues to non-hazardous landfill sites.