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une 2009 will mark the second anniversary of the WEEE Regulations, and since they were implemented in 2007 we have already seen many encouraging statistics about awareness levels amongst businesses and overall increasing levels of recycling. In fact, the latest ﬁgures show that the average WEEE recycling rate in the UK is over 7kg per person each year which is well above the EU target of 4kg.

However, nearly two million tonnes of WEEE is produced every year in the UK and, according to a recent survey by environmental guidance providers Netregs, only 12% of SMEs could name the regulations provided in the WEEE legislation and many were unsure of their responsibilities.

Peter Lees, Commercial Manager of Recolight, answers your questions on the WEEE Regulations and how Recolight can help businesses recycle their old lamps.

Q. WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER THE WEEE REGULATIONS WHEN DISPOSING OF END-OF-LIFE LAMPS?

A. The WEEE Regulations were introduced in 2007 to reduce the impact that end-of-life electrical waste has on the environment, by encouraging the reuse or recycling of these items rather then sending them to landﬁll sites. Under the regulations the ﬁnancing and treatment of many types of electrical equipment purchased after 13th August 2005 is now the responsibility of the producer, and such waste includes compact ﬂuorescent lamps (CFLs) and other gas discharge lamps (GDLs).

A. We are a not-for-proﬁt, producer-led compliance scheme specialising in the recycling of gas discharge lamps. Recolight was established by the UK lamp producers who account for a signiﬁcant share of the UK market. Our members are producers and importers of WEEE who put new lamps on the UK market for the ﬁrst time and are therefore obliged to comply with the WEEE Regulations.

We take on the legal responsibility of our members to put in place a system to collect and recycle their customers’ end-of-life lamps. Their membership funds the cost of collection and recycling services from which any qualifying organisation can beneﬁt.

Our priority is to recycle as many lamps as possible on behalf of our members and to increase overall recycling rates for waste lamps.

A. Recolight works by providing a collection system of WEEE lamps through a network of collection points (called RecoNet). Recolight gives businesses the ability to dispose of their end-of-life lamps easily by arranging/ﬁnancing collection from the sites, ensuring the lamps are recycled effectively. As a registered compliance scheme, we take on our members’ responsibilities and provide the interface with all the elements in the compliance process.

A. Recolight always welcomes enquiries from businesses interested in becoming collection points and if you would like to participate, please register your interest in the RecoNet system on our website www.recolight.co.uk.

Q. WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A SMALL VOLUME OF END-OF-LIFE LAMPS?

A. If it takes you over a month to accumulate 1,000 lamps, which is the case for a lot of smaller businesses, we can organise a one-off collection of the waste. Under these circumstances, you must store the waste in a safe place where the lamps will not get broken, and which is easily accessible for a one-off collection to take place.

If you have very few lamps (1,000 or less) then you can locate your nearest open collection point by using the mapping tool available on our website. Please ensure you contact the site before you visit to check they still have space available in their container. If you do not have access to the internet please call RecoLine on 0845 601 7749 and a member of the Recolight team will be able to help you.

Q. HOW CAN I FIND MY NEAREST RECOLIGHT COLLECTION POINT?

A. You can log on to our website (www.recolight. co.uk) and click on our mapping tool. Alternatively, you can call the team on the RecoLine - 0845 601 7749 and they will be able to advise you of your nearest open collection point.

Q. HOW CAN I FIND OUT FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT RECOLIGHT?

A. You can call us on RecoLine - 0845 601 7749 and speak to a member of the Recolight team. They are always happy to provide advice and support to help you recycle your lamps as efﬁciently as possible.

You can also subscribe to our regular newsletter at [email protected].