LAWR

NEWS June 2015 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 9 Electrical waste Biffa service delivers Biffa has collected over 400 tonnes of small waste household electrical and electronic items (WEEE) through new services rolled out to 13 councils. First launched in Woking in December 2011, the initiative lets residents put out bags of small WEEE alongside their usual recycling or refuse containers on scheduled collection days. Bagged WEEE is collected by Biffa crews as part of their normal rounds, placing them in underbody cages fitted to Biffa's collection vehicles. The cages are then emptied into larger holding containers at Biffa's depots and then transported to authorised WEEE reprocessors through the company's compliance scheme, Transform. Biffa is able to finance the collection, handling, storage and bulk haulage and treatment through funding provided by Transform, and any value that can be gained from the WEEE. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently announced that the nation's 2015 collection target for small mixed household WEEE is just over 137,000 tonnes. The UK narrowly missed its 2014 small mixed WEEE target of just over 126,000 tonnes by less than 1%, but did beat its overall WEEE target. New Wales contract for ERP The South Wales Waste Management Group has awarded European Recycling Platform UK a three-year contract, with the possibility to extend for a further two years, as the producer compliance scheme to the nine local authorities that comprise the South Wales Regional Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Contract. ERP UK are responsible for the provision of containers for all WEEE streams at the 34 designated collection facilities across the nine local authorities, together with the collection and subsequent reuse or recycling of these materials. WEEE in numbers The United Nations University has published an in-depth report into discarded e-waste. Here are just some of the facts and figures: 41.8 million - tonnes of e-waste thrown away globally in 2014 33% - proportion created by China and the US alone 0.7 million - tonnes of EU e-waste will be thrown in the bin 7% - of global e-waste is now mobile phones 300 - tonnes of gold could be extracted from e-waste globally Recycling Bits and Pieces management carrier bag charge and usage has been cut by more than 80%, according to retailers. Scots, according to the Public Perceptions and Concerns around Litter report, focus on litter and street cleaning). YOUR ROUND-UP OF THIS MONTH'S TOP STORIES ACROSS THE INDUSTRY NEW LEASE OF LIFE - Biffa Municipal handed four of its RCVs to Re- fuse Vehicle Solutions to be remanufactured. The vehicles were stripped with worn parts replaced, before being resprayed ready for their second life in the company's seasonal collections rounds.

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