"Last piece in jigsaw" for recycling (From Malvern Gazette)

"Last piece in jigsaw" for recycling

7:44pm Thursday 5th June 2008

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A KEEN recycler from Malvern is urging local authorities to complete the "last piece in the recycling jigsaw" by providing dedicated recycling facilities for electrical waste.

Worcestershire County Council is one of the few authorities nationwide yet to make provision for the separate collection of electrical and electronic equipment from its waste disposal sites.

Whilst facilities are provided for hazardous' items - fridge freezers, tvs and computer monitors and fluorescent tubes - there are no dedicated facilities for recycling other electrical equipment, such as home computers and printers.

David Bloy, of Willow Grove, currently has a pile of computer equipment he no longer uses.

"I think this area has made great strides in improving recycling at its local waste sites, and it seems a shame that they have not really gone that extra mile to allow people to recycle their electrical waste," he said. "I have got equipment piled up waiting to recycle so that it does not end up in landfill.

"This is the last piece in the recycling jigsaw, and it seems a shame that Malvern residents are among the last to have this facility."

Mr Bloy has on occasion found a home for his old equipment through the Malvern Hills Freecycle website, or through retailers offering a takeback' service, but believes collection facilities for electrical goods would be widely used.

"If you look at the waste disposal site in Malvern the skip that takes tvs and monitors is always piled high, and I am sure that once they put facilities in they will be well used and divert a lot of waste from landfill," he said. "We all want to do our bit for the environment, but it is a question of having the help to do so."

Mr Bloy has expressed his concerns to the national WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) implementation team, who confirmed that Worcestershire and Herefordshire were among a handful' of local authorities not to have finalised arrangements to collect general electrical goods from their sites.

Worcestershire County Council spokesman Paul Whittaker said people could deposit electrical items with their general waste.

"We would like to take this opportunity to stress to residents that the other electrical goods deposited at the sites are recycled. The difference is that these items are not separated before they are recycled," he said. "The WEEE directive puts the onus on producers to responsibly re-use, recycle and dispose of waste electrical and electronic equipment. We are currently planning to do more in the future by separating a greater range of electrical and electronic goods from householders at our sites across the county."

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