"New and forthcoming legislation will make it virtually impossible for organisations to dispose of discharge lamps, other than through the recycling route," warns Mercury Recycling managing director Bryan Neill. "As a result," he continues, "contractors dealing with waste discharge lamps will need to organise disposal through an accredited waste recycler in the very near future".
The warning follows the introduction of three complementary items of legislation. In July 2004 the Government introduced the Landfill Directive, which reduced the number of hazardous landfill sites from 250 to 10, and only a couple of these are licensed to deal with mercury-containing waste. This move has also tripled the cost of disposing of lamps and tubes at landfill.
Furthermore, on the 16th July 2005, the new Hazardous Waste Regulations in England and Wales classified discharge lamps as hazardous waste. These regulations also require any organisation producing more 200kg of any type of hazardous waste to register as a hazardous waste producer and obtain a site registration code. Waste contractors will not be able to collect from any such site that is not registered.
"At the moment, there is still a very limited landfill opportunity, albeit expensive, for companies that can't be bothered to recycle, but when the WEEE Directive comes into force in 2006 recycling of discharge lamps will be mandatory. Then the only way forward is recycling," Mr Neill added. "Many organisations will turn to electrical contractors to take care of old lamps for them - but they need to ensure they are handled in line with the new Hazardous Waste Regulations," he concluded.
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Posted on: 31st July 2005, United Kingdom
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Recycling is the only way forward for discharge lamps
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Mercury Recycling Ltd, United Kingdom, Tel: 0161 877 0977, Fax: 0161 877 0390
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