In order to achieve higher waste luminaire recycling rates throughout the UK, requests have been made for luminaire producers to join WEEE producer compliance schemes.
Due to the waste management of luminaire products being largely unregulated, calls to join WEEE compliance schemes have been made in order for scrap and waste to be collected and reprocessed in an environmentally safe manner.
Environment Agency data for waste luminaires show that during 2012 55,433 tonnes of luminaire products were supplied to business end users, of which only 328 tonnes were collected by UK WEEE compliance schemes.
With current UK business WEEE recycling rates for luminaire’s being a mere 0.6%, the new regulations will prevent the mismanagement and exportation of scrap to less economically developed countries (LEDCs).
Due to the presence of mercury in the light sources, Hazardous chemical contamination forms one of the main driving factors behind concerns for waste luminaire products.
When unregulated, this could lead to the illegal release of mercury by scrap dealers and producers could be liable for prosecution under the RoHS directive.
The new WEEE regulations present producers of business luminaires with two options, they can either take responsibility for their waste products or pass the responsibility to their business end users.
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About GPT Waste
GPT Waste, the largest UK independent provider of waste management solutions and sustainable waste services. They continually demonstrate operational efficiency as well as financial savings via their innovative approach to waste management systems and routes to processes.
GPT Key Statistics:
- Over 410,000 consignments of waste managed each year
- Over 34,000 waste movements managed each month, the UK produce over 400 million tonnes of waste annually
- UK waste output is growing at over 3% per annum
- Legislation now dictates that companies should be more responsible for their waste
- Compliant with over 1300 pieces of environmental legislation
- Your company can be fined for improper waste management
- Company waste can be turned into a resource if disposed of correctly
