Will you be ready for the WEEE Directive in August?
April 1st 2004

Yet another complex piece of European Legislation is scheduled to become UK law in August 2004 when the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment Directive is due to hit the statute books.

Just one of the many issues it raises is how to comply with its requirements for the recycling of spent fluorescent tubes and other hazardous lamps. Why? Mainly for this reason: There is enough mercury in one fluorescent tube to contaminate 20 000 litres of drinking water.

Bakersfield Environmental Services are using an on-site fragmenting and filtering machine called the Bulb Eater which allows the tubes to be safely crushed on clients premises and the contained debris removed for recycling. This reduces the need for bulk transportation of whole linear tubes over long distances which can make recycling an expensive alternative.

The glass can then be re-used as raw material for glass wool insulation; the aluminium end caps are smelted into ingots for remanufacture and the distilled mercury is re-used in scientific instruments. Full Duty of Care documentation is provided.

In March 2004 further economies were achieved as Bakerfield took delivery of the Mark 2 Bulb Eater which permits multiple rather than single entry lamp feeding. In line with the requirements of the Landfill Directive, lamp crushing no longer has to result in burying the debris, fully compliant recycling can now be achieved with a cost effective and efficient service.