More than two million tonnes of electronic and electrical
waste is discarded every year. With so much new technology being churned out
year after year, and a general attitude to throw out the old whenever something
new supersedes it, this probably comes as no surprise.
The problem is – and it is a major problem –more than 75 per
cent of waste electrical goods end up in landfill. Here, lead and other toxins
such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury and certain flame retardants cause soil and
water contamination.
The potential harm to wildlife, nature and human health is
significant. Toxins emanating from the breakdown of electrical components can
cause major problems for the communities that surround the landfill sites as
soil and water suffer pollution.
Our Policy on Re-use and Recycling of Electrical Appliances
The fact is that a great deal of the electrical items that
are discarded could actually be recycled or repaired. So, instead of discarding
such items and raising the potential for health and environmental risks, and
putting pressure on natural resources, wouldn’t it be better to salvage and
recondition rather than throw away and forget?
At Anderson Trade we believe it is vitally important for people to be aware of the consequences of a throw-away attitude when it comes to electrical items, and also to know the alternatives so that change can start to take place. This goes for businesses as much as consumers. In fact, businesses that decide to take a stand and introduce an electrical recycling and repair policy could really help to make a difference.
Government Intervention
In response to the growing issue of electrical waste and the
resulting contamination risk, the government introduced the Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations in 2006. These were updated in
2013.
If you have ever seen a symbol on an electrical or battery
operated item that shows a wheelie bin with a cross through it, this denotes
that the product should not be discarded in the regular refuse system. Instead,
it should sent for repair and then re-used, or recycled at the nearest
recycling facility. This is all part of the WEEE Regulations.
The Anderson Trade Policy on Electrical Recycling
Here at Anderson Trade, we take electrical recycling very
seriously. To help with the efforts to reduce the volume of electrical
appliances going to landfill, we have devised a system whereby anyone
purchasing a new appliance from us can deposit their like-for-like used WEEE
item with us. We will then deal with it either by repairing and reconditioning,
or recycling using appropriate means. This take-back scheme does not affect any
statutory rights.
In addition, anyone with a domestic product from the Numatic
range has the opportunity to take the item to their local recycling facility.
Numatic has put funds in place to recycle end of life products, which means
your local authority’s resources are being spared every time one of their
machines is deposited for recycling.
For commercial and industrial Numatic machines, there is an
agreement in place with Valpak Recycling Limited. Customers simply contact
Valpak to organise the necessary recycling (info@valpack.co.uk)
quoting Numatic’s registration number WEE/AA0045SY/PRO.
