Inform Resources E-waste takeback schemes to be extended


New rules governing WEEE Directive strengthened


Retailers will have to extend their takeback schemes for e-waste under new rules governing the WEEE Directive which have effectively strengthened producer responsibility requirements. The recast of the Directive, which was approved by the European Parliament in January, means that large stores selling elec- tronic items – with a floor space of over 400 square metres – will be


obliged to take back small items of WEEE free of charge, regardless of whether a customer makes a purchase or not.


Manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment will also have to continue to contribute finan- cially towards meeting tougher reprocessing targets, although they will benefit from a cut in red tape, with simplified registration and reporting requirements. The move


to force larger


retailers to offer drop-off collec- tion points for WEEE has been


broadly welcomed by indus- try, including the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which believes the new measures are a “sensible way forward”.


Under the new directive, more


Large stores selling electronic items will be obliged to take back small items of WEEE for free


NHS trust targets waste recycling


stringent collection targets have been set. From 2016, 45 tonnes of e-waste must be collected for every 100 tonnes of e-goods sold during the previous three years. This will rise to 65 tonnes by 2019. Alternatively, Member States can choose to collect 85% of all e-waste generated.


APPLE CASHBACK


Apple has extended its reuse and recycling programme to the UK, France and Germany in the form of a customer cashback scheme for old devices.


Twelve thousand Guy’s and St Thomas’ employees are being trained to source-segregate waste better


Staff engagement programme at major London hospitals


A major NHS trust is undertak- ing a huge staff engagement pro- gramme in a bid to recycle 40% of all its clinical and domestic waste by the end of 2012.


Some 12,000 employees are being trained to source-segregate waste better from the two hospi- tals that form Guy’s & St Thomas’ in


London.


waste is managed by SRCL, aided by a site roll out of recycling bins supplied by Bywaters to collect mixed dry recyclables.


Through more stringent segre- gation methods, clinical waste lev- els have also dropped significantly. In the first half of 2011, clinical waste sent for incineration fell by 48%, despite an increase in the amount of overall clinical waste generated.


Combined, the


hospitals produce around 2,000 tonnes of domestic and clinical waste each year.


With the help of two private sector waste contractors, SCRL and Bywaters, the trust has already increased recycling levels by 34% over the past year. All of the trust’s


The NHS trust’s waste man- ager, Alan Armstrong, says that staff education has been instru- mental in achieving results. He said: “Looking back, just four years ago, near enough all our waste, which didn’t require spe- cialist treatment, went to landfill. “We’ve made significant pro-


gress in the interim, but what has been our main challenge is educat- ing our 12,000 staff members to instil recycling into their everyday work lives.”


He added that, going forward, work will be done on separating out “offensive waste” from clini- cal streams. Armstrong and his 34-strong waste team will be iden- tifying departments where this waste can be easily separated – for example special care baby units. “It’s a difficult challenge, espe-


cially in this environment, but by undertaking waste audits within different wards and departments and providing guidance on how to improve sustainability we’ve seen significant achievements in a short time,” he added.


The service has been operating in the US for some time, but has now been implemented in European stores. The scheme, which is being managed by Dataserv, also accepts certain non- Apple products such as desktop computers. Under the scheme, cus- tomers can hand back their used iPads, iPhones and Macs – but not iPods. If the items are reusable, Dataserv estimates their market value and the customer can reclaim that amount back in the form of cash.


If the device is deemed not to have any value then Apple will recycle it free- of-charge through its own recovery programme. A message on Apple’s website says: “Our commit- ment to the environment includes finding the most efficient ways to reuse or recycle electronic equipment at the end of its useful life.”


BRIEFS SWANKY LONDON HOTEL THE LANGHAM HAS PLEDGED TO RAISE RECYCLING LEVELS FROM 35% TO 75% DURING THE NEXT 12 MONTHS 10 | Sustainable Business | January/February 2012 www.sustainablebusinessonline.com


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