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South West's largest hospital recycles hundreds of tonnes of electronic waste
Issued:16/05/2007Hundreds of tonnes of waste electrical devices used by the Plymouth Hospitals Trust and Plymouth teaching Primary Care Trust are to be recycled thanks to a new agreement with a local specialist recycling company. The new contract with Cornwall-based The Electronic Waste Company means each year, thousands of electrical items including beds, portable appliances, lighting, computers and specialist medical equipment will no longer be sent to landfill sites. Instead they will be broken down and either reused or recycled by the Electronic Waste Company at its specialist plant in Redruth. The Electronic Waste Company is the only business of its type in the Southern England to run an Environment Agency approved ?Compliance Scheme?. New European legislation means all businesses which produce, sell, import, export or rent electrical or electronic goods are obliged to join a Compliance Scheme to monitor and dispose of their goods. The regulations also affect hospitals, councils and other public bodies. Damian Lambkin, The Electronic Waste Company's Managing Director said: ?Derriford?s decision to recycle its waste electronic equipment will make an enormous difference to the environmental impact of the hospital?s operations. Electrical equipment contains a number of hazardous chemicals including mercury, sodium, lead and cadmium. We?ll be preventing those substances from entering the environment around landfill sites in the South West.? Last year the Plymouth Health Community disposed of 5000 light bulbs, 550 computer monitors and televisions and over 100 tonnes on non recyclable electrical items such as fridges and broken medical equipment. Andrew Davies, the Head of Environmental Services for the Plymouth Health Community said: ?This initiative marks a huge change in the way we deal with electrical equipment which we no longer need. Previously it has been sent with our non-clinical waste to landfill. But that is no longer a responsible and legal course of action, which is why we have opted to deal with a local company who are experts in this type of waste. We already have an excellent recycling programme in place for items such as cardboard, paper and plastics and this new partnership now allows us to expand our recycling to include electronic waste." The change in Derriford?s policy has arisen because of the European-led Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations 2006. It will shortly be rolled out to all properties under the control of the Plymouth Health Community, with other hospitals in the South West expected to follow suit. Meanwhile, other businesses in the South West are being warned to look at how they dispose of waste electronic equipment as a result of the WEEE regulations. Damian continued: ?The WEEE Regulations are designed to ensure that businesses bear the cost of collecting, treating and recycling waste electronic equipment. If you sell or make virtually anything which uses a plug or batteries, you?re affected by the legislation. That includes, for example, gift shops, toy retailers, computer shops, IT companies and domestic appliance dealers as well as manufacturers of electrical and electronic goods.? Businesses which do not join a compliance scheme face a jail sentence of up to two years and an unlimited fine. More information on the WEEE Regulations is available from www.environment-agency.gov.uk/weee. Details of The Electronic Waste Company?s Compliance Scheme are available from www.a1compliance.co.uk, www.electronicwastecompany.com or by calling 01209 211182. ENDS Notes to editors: To comply with hospital requirements, please confirm your attendance by calling 084500 9 10 23. For further media information, interviews requests or images, please contact Tim Bowcock on 084500 9 10 23/07828 99 157 or click here to send an email. The Electronic Waste Company carries the British Standard BS8555 for environmental compliance and operates a ?0% to landfill? policy.
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