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Section 3
Recycling materials
PAPER
Before setting up any paper collection scheme, it is vital to check the economics very carefully. It can be easy to collect large quantities of newspaper, but will be counterproductive if there is no local market for it.
Paper grades
The various grades of waste paper can be confusing for the newcomer to recycling. There are eleven major grades and sixty eight minor grades of waste paper. Your paper merchant will be able to advise on the detail of what is most appropriate to collect in your area. Markets for all grades of waste paper can be volatile, and can vary in different parts of the country. In general, computer and white office paper is in higher demand and attracts a higher price then a newspapers, magazines and lower, mixed grades. You will obtain better overall prices if you collect and / or separate waste papers into the following general grades:
· Computer print-out: high quality paper which commands consistently higher prices. Some companies will be concerned about confidentiality and may insist on paper being shredded.
· White office paper: high quality white paper is generally worth more than coloured paper.
These two grades are likely to yield the most income for your project. Other grades listed below may be worth collecting and separating, depending on local markets, and if collected from household waste, may yield more income per tonne from local authority recycling credits than from the material itself - which will still make them worth collecting. They all have limited monetary value in themselves, although markets do exist for them
· Cardboard: usually collected either flatted or compacted as it would not be viable to collect whole cardboard boxes
· Newspapers: certain grades (such as over - issue news, collected from stationers or free-sheet newspaper offices) can yield a higher income
· Multi-grade office waste papers: coloured and white office papers mixed together, worth less than office white.
· Magazines and pamphlets
· Mixed papers: newspapers, magazines and pamphlets, nearly always worth less than newspapers on their own.
· Kraft waste: there is a separate market for brown paper bags, wrapping and paper sacks
· Paper sacks: in rural areas, animal feed sacks can be collected as a separate grade, and can be worth more than cardboard.
Paper storage
You will need a dry, secure store and you may also need to arrange insurance. Paper must always be kept dry as damp paper can ferment and ignite spontaneously. As a guide, 1 tonne of closely packed paper takes up about 2m X 2m X 1.3m, or approximately the size of a Mini car. It may be worth asking your paper merchant if they can supply a baling machine to help reduce the volume and maximise storage space., alternatively, they may be in a position to provide you with a suitable out-door storage container, but you may need to ask for planning permission and will need it to be secure from vandals and accessible to lifting vehicles.
Office waste paper collections
In recent years, many community groups have involved themselves in collecting waste paper from offices, and if you are in a highly commercialised area this may be a profitable option to explore. The most successful schemes make charges for the collection service they offer, often on a sliding scale allowing charities and voluntary groups a cheaper service than commercial businesses.
Good publicity will be vital to get the scheme off the ground. Large companies will provide the most paper, but may need time to train staff and cleaners to sort and save paper. Try to develop a short presentation on your scheme and why it is important, and offer to speak at staff meetings and conferences. Keep your presentations and publicity clear and simple : remember that, even though many offices are willing to recycle, it is not their top priority and they will value your straight and business like approach.
Some offices start paper collections one floor at a time and the cleaners empty the paper and general rubbish bins on alternate days. They may seek your advice on collection and storage bins, and effective labelling. Computer paper is most conveniently stored in the lids of the box it came in. You may be able to obtain sponsorship from a local company for the provision of plastic or cardboard collection containers to your customers, alternatively, you could always provide general product information for them to purchase their own containers directly from the manufacturers. Wheeled bins or Eurobins can be used for storing larger quantities of paper, but will need special lifting equipment to empty them as they will be extremely heavy when full.
You will need to stipulate a minimum quantity you will collect from any one office. Work out the most economical collection round to save fuel use and time. The reliability of your service will be crucial : an answer-phone is recommended, and you must respond promptly to messages. Many businesses communicate through fax and e-mail these days, it is a good idea to invest in these office systems as soon as possible as this will promote your business image and be useful if your telephone may be engaged a lot during normal office hours.
Promoting recycled paper
A major problem for the waste paper industry and community recyclers alike is the volatile nature of the waste paper market, notorious for its price and demand fluctuations. The demand for recycled paper products needs to be increased if progress is to be made in creating stable markets for a range of waste paper grades. You can help by using and promoting recycled paper products.
If more large organisations, such as local authorities and major businesses, were to use recycled paper this would significantly help to increase demand. The range and quality of recycled papers has increased considerably over the years, and there is usually a paper to meet most printing and stationary requirements. Prices can often be competitive, and as demand increases, prices will further reduce and technical improvements to paper making equipment will continue to deliver improved quality.
Waste Watch, in conjunction with the National Recycling Forum, produce the UK Recycled Products Guide, a directory providing information on the availability of recycled products, including paper.
Do take time to promote the use of recycled paper wherever possible. Encourage your local authority and firms in your area to buy recycled - and lead by example!
Working with a paper merchant
If you are thinking about setting up a scheme to raise funds from waste paper collections, then good relations with waste paper merchants will be very important to the success of your project. Here are the key points for action:
· Contact several waste paper merchants and arrange to visit them to see how their system operates, what grades of paper they are interested in, and what degree of sorting will be required
· Compare prices they offer for different grades, but remember that the highest price may not always be the best. Reliability can be more important to you - try to find a merchant who will continue to accept your paper despite changes in the waste paper market. You may also find that you have to sort and supply poorer grades for little or no money in order to maximise the price for better grades supplied to the same merchant - negotiation is the name of the game!
· Agree prices and any other arrangements in writing
· Ask the merchant for references from other groups who supply him / her to check the firm's reliability
· Obtain receipts for all deliveries / collections and cash paid
· Check whether or not your merchant will collect paper from you or provide a container for collection at a central point. Most merchants will not collect less than half a tonne of paper - and often one tonne may be the minimum. If you have to deliver, work out the real cost of this; it makes no sense to sell paper for less than your fuel costs
· Check in detail the merchant's specification for grades collected; such as whether cellophane, plastic coverings and other contaminants ( or contraries ) need to be removed or not
· If you have collected shredded waste paper, your customer may require proof of its secure disposal. Check if your merchant will issue Certificates of Destruction for confidential waste papers ( after they have been processed for recycling ), and whether there is a charge for this. You should pass these charges on to your customer, as this is an additional service. Bear in mind that many paper merchants operate security shredding services as part of their business.
Further information
Pulp and Paper Information Centre
Papermakers House
1 Rivenhall Road
Westlea
Swindon, SN5 7BD
Tel : 01793 889615
Fax : 01793 886182
e-mail : ppic@paper.org.uk
The Paper Federation
Papermakers House
1 Rivenhall Road
Westlea
Swindon, SN5 7BD
Tel : 01793 889600
Fax : 01793 886182
Independent Waste Paper Processors Association
19 High Street
Daventry
Northamptonshire
NN11 4BG
Tel : 01327 703223
Fax : 01327 300612
e-mail : iwppa@fsbdial.co.uk
The Waste Watch Wasteline can provide further sources of information and advice on waste paper collections, grades of waste paper and recycled paper products. Tel : 0870 243 0136
FERROUS METALS
The scrap metal industry in this country is well established, and was a good reycler long before it became fashionable. Over 60% of the iron and steel produced in the UK is derived from waste arising from industry - about half of this from the scrap metal industries. Using ferrous scap instead of iron ore results in a 75% saving in energy use.
Recycling steel cans
Nearly all food and pet-food cans and almost half of all drinks cans are made from steel, not to mention aerosols and paint cans. The majority of these cans have a thin tin coating, that's why they are often referred to as "tin cans" Most of today's steel cans are clearly labelled with a recycling symbol. A simple test for a steel can is to check with a magnet - on all parts of the can, steel or mixed metal cans are attracted to the magnet.
The national recycling rate in 1998 was 25% for steel packaging and 21% was recovered by magnetic extraction.
Magnetic extraction from the domestic waste stream is the most efficient and cost effective way of recovering steel packaging and depends on investment from local authorities; recovery rates of up to 85% are possible. Check to see if your local authority operates magnetic extraction equipment.
Consumer collections
The Save-a-Can scheme, operated by British steel in partnership with local authorities, is the UK's major national network of can banks which accepts all types of can. British Steel currently work with 145 local authorities to provide over 1000 Save-a-Can banks in supermarket car-parks and other convenient locations across the UK. Cans should be washed and squashed to reduce bulk before placing them in the banks.
During the summer of 1999, the British Steel Packaging Recycling Unit launched a new collection network for steel cans called CanRoute.which provides 13 regional CanRoute centres where collected steel cans may be delivered. The aim of CanRoute is to increase the amount of steel canc recycled by assisting the growth of consumer collections at the community level by either kerbside collection or bring schemes.
If there is no magnetic extraction, Save -a-Can or CanRoute scheme in your area, you may wish to campaign for these facilities.
In most areas, the low price of used steel cans means it is not profitable for community groups to collect them.
Further information
British Steel Packaging Recycling Unit
PO Box 18
Ebbw Vale
South Wales
NP3 6YL
Tel : 01495 334521
Fax : 01495 350988
Steel Can Recycling Information Bureau
69 Monmouth street
London
WC2H 9DG
Tel : 0171 379 1306
Freephone : 0321 472742
Website : www.scrib.org
Save-a-Can
PO Box 18
Ebbw Vale
South wales
NP3 6YL
Tel : 01495 334526
The Waste Watch Wasteline has a more detailed information sheet about steel can recycling. Tel : 0870 243 0136
ALUMINIUM
Because it is a high value metal, many schools, clubs and other organisations now collect aluminium cans and foil for fundraising. This area of recycling activity has grown rapidly in recent years, and many community recycling groups now also collect and process aluminium as an established source of income. This increase in activity has taken place since Alcan opened the UK's first purpose built aluminium can recycling plant in Warrington in 1991, with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year.
Aluminium is the most commonly occurring metal, making up about 8%of the earth's crust. Its concentrated form is bauxite ore, but production is costly, demanding large quantities of energy in an environmentally damaging process.
Recycling aluminium can bring energy savings of 95% and reduces import costs. The metal can be recycled indefinitely, as reprocessing does not damage the structure of the metal.
Collecting aluminium
Aluminium is widely used and easy to collect. On average, approximately 70% of used beverage cans are made of aluminium. However, because the metal is so light, it may take some time to collect a quantity large enough to sell to a merchant, so you will need secure storage space.
If you wish to collect and sell small quantities, the Aluminium packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) has a national network of over 700 "Cash for Cans" recycling centres, many of whom are small community recycling businesses.
If your horizons are wider, you may be considering setting up a project that acts as a "Cash for Cans" centre itself, processes the cans, and sells them on to a larger merchant or direct to Alcan. Alcan Aluminium Can Recycling operate a regional network of intermediate processing centres for collectors unable to collect quantities large enough to supply direct to the Warrington plant.
Aluminium foil and cans
The Aluminium Can Recycling Association (ACRA) and the Aluminium Foil Recycling Campaign (AFRC) joined forces in 1999 to provide a fully integrated service for all aluminium packaging. The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) is now the one-stop shop in the UK for all matters relating to recycling schemes and reprocessing, packaging waste legislation, and consumer education.
When washed, foil milk bottle tops, carton tops, baking and freezing trays, kitchen foil, cigarette and tobacco foil (without the backing paper) are all suitable for collection. The foil should be packed as compactly as possible into large bags or sacks.
Aluminium drinks cans are the UK's most recycled drinks package, with an estimated recycling rate of 36%. In 1998, 1.5 billion aluminium used beverage containers (UBC's) were collected for recycling, yielding over £10 million to the collectors.
It is estimated that there is over £30 million worth of used aluminium packaging available for recycling in 1999.
It is worth remembering that aluminium cans should be collected separately from foil as better prices can often be obtained, and many merchants will not accept the mixed materials.
Remember to:
· Test the side of the can with a magnet (aluminium is not magnetic). A quick way of checking is to look at the bottom of the can, aluminium cans are much more shiny and silver. They weigh about half as much as steel cans ,do not go rusty and are often clearly labelled anyway
· Rinse well if the cans are to be stored
· Crush - one tonne of cans equates to about 50,000 cans; crushed these will take up about 5 cubic yards. Wall mounted can crushers can be operated by children under supervision, or the cans can be squashed underfoot
· Bag the cans - a large (recycled) plastic bin bag should hold about 200 cans
· Deliver, or arrange collection - most Alupro designated merchants will take small quantities; check their minimum amounts before delivering. For larger quantities they may be prepared to lend a skip, and increasing numbers of dealers now offer collection services
· Publicise your scheme to encourage people to collect cans
Large scale machinery for sorting and baling cans can be expensive for small community groups, try sharing equipment or look at purchasing second hand.
Further information
The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro)
1 Bank Square
Bidford-on-Avon
Warwickshire
B50 4NL
Information Services Helpline : 0845 7227722
Alcan Aluminium Can Recycling
PO Box 108
Latchford Locks
Warrington
Cheshire
WA4 1NP
Tel : 01925 784100
Freephone : 0800 262462
Fax : 01925 784101
GLASS
Glass recycling saves materials and energy, reduces the need for landfill space and cuts collection costs. Re-use of glass bottles, such as milk bottles and some beers and soft drinks sold in pubs is an even use of resources.
In the UK we use over six billion glass containers each year, and about 22% of these are currently recycled - the European average is 50%. With more sites in convenient locations, much more glass could be collected for recycling across the UK .
Cullet (waste glass) is worth more if separated by colour, with clear cullet being the most valuable. Clear glass accounts for 70% of UK production but only about 25% of cullet collected from bottle banks. The market for reclaimed material can be unstable and there are often fluctuations in the price. Reasons for cuts in cullet price can be reductions in the price of raw materials leading to a lack of demand for cullet or technical factors. Reduced cullet prices across the board causes a significant reduction in recycling income putting glass recycling programmes in jeopardy. Recycling credits remain the lifeline by which many glass recycling schemes continue to remain in operation, and despite economic difficulties, it remains an energy and resource efficient operation.
Bottle banking
Remember the bottle bank code :
· Rinse bottles before taking them to the bottle bank
· Remove caps from bottles and jars (these contaminate the glass and can cause extensive damage to glass furnaces)
· Dispose of bottles and jars in the correct space for each colour (mixing them reduces the amount of glass that can be recycled)
· Do not put returnable bottles (like milk bottles0 in bottle banks
· Do not leave litter at the site - this is unsightly, expensive to clean up and off putting for potential recyclers
· Never put crockery or anything other than glass bottles and jars in the bottle bank
· Do not use bottle banks at night when you may disturb residents
· Try to combine the disposal of bottles with shopping or other journeys, to save fuel
If your local authority is unwilling to provide a local bottle bank, you can try to go it alone. Several schools, churches, hospitals and parish councils have done this successfully. Contact the glass recycling companies and ask if they will provide a skip; alternatively, you will need to buy or hire a skip. New full sized bottle banks can cost around £1,000 or more. Local sponsors may help towards this, or you may be able to obtain a loan, after choosing a site carefully. Check if you need planning permission, and you must have public liability insurance. Income from the sale of cullet, plus recycling credit from the local authority (if they pay one) will recoup the cost of the skip over a period of time.
A number of community recycling businesses have ventured into commercial glass collections, mainly from high volume users such as night clubs, pubs and hotels. Because of the bulk, weight, and hazards of glass handling it would be difficult to make this a viable operation on its own, but could be combined as part of a wider recycling venture, including for example, aluminium cans and office waste paper. Remember though, that recycling credits are only paid on domestic waste, so the only way to make commercial glass collections pay is to charge for the service you provide..
Further information
British Glass Manufacturers Confederation
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S10 2UA
Tel : 0114 268 6201
Fax : 0114 268 1073
E-mail : info@britglass.co.uk
British Glass Recycling Company Limited
Northumberland Road
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S10 2UA
Tel : 0114 268 4067
Fax : 0114 268 7914
The Independent Glass Recyclers Association
C/o Pharaoh & Co.
Boreham industrial estate
Waltham Road
Boreham
Chelmsford
Essex
CM3 3AW
Tel : 01245 465316
Fax : 01245 451744
PLASTICS
Plastics at present make up about 7% of domestic waste by weight and about 20% by volume. In 1995 consumption of plastics in Western Europe was 28.4 million tonnes, the UK consumes about 3.5 million tonnes every year, about 36% of which is used for packaging. The durability of most plastics makes them a waste disposal problem.
Recycling of domestic plastics is made difficult because of the wide variety of plastics in everyday use. There are hundreds of different varieties within about 50 different "family groups" of plastics, making sorting for recycling a complex task, even though most plastic polymers are perfectly recyclable on an individual polymer basis.
Recycling
Industrial plastics waste materials are recycled with over 150,000 tonnes recovered each year from sources as diverse as film cassettes, coat hangers, manufacturers' scrap and bottle crates.
Recycling of post-consumer waste plastics is highly desirable. Some more developed community recycling operations have become involved in plastics recycling as part of their kerbside collections, or by being involved in partnerships with their local authority and the plastics industry (through RECOUP, the plastics industry body which promotes recycling) in managing plastic sorting facilities.
Plastic bottle recovery schemes
The main development in plastics recycling in recent years has been the growth of plastic bottle banks and other recovery systems. RECOUP (Recycling Of Used Plastic Containers Ltd) are involved with a number of local authorities in supporting plastic bottle recycling schemes. In fact, one third of local authorities now have plastic bottle recycling schemes, and the number is growing. There are more than 2,400 plastic bottle collection banks on 1,650 sites across Britain and there are kerbside collections of plastics from over 800,000 households.
Polystyrene food packaging waste
LINPAC have a plant in Cheshire which recycles polystyrene waste. It has a capacity of 2,500 tonnes per year and was Europe's first plant of it's kind capable of recycling fast food boxes, meat trays, egg cartons, yoghurt pots, vending cups and even disposable cameras.
Plastic vending cup collections
Another area of growth in plastics recycling has been the development of a network of plastic vending cup collections for large offices and businesses. The Save-a-Cup organisation collects on a national basis, often with third party collectors, many of whom may already be collecting other waste materials, such as cans and waste paper, from offices. Some community recycling groups have become third party collectors for Save-a-Cup, and as this business expands, Save-a-Cup would welcome enquiries from other potential collectors. Save-a-Cup collected 200 million cups for recycling during 1998, and with help from community groups, this figure could be substantially increased.
Reusing plastic containers
Try not to use plastics where there is a recyclable alternative. Where there is no alternative, then re-use of plastic containers is always a more preferable option to recycling. Here are some basic ideas:
· Offer clean plastic carrier bags to charity shops
· Check whether your local play-group, school or scrap-store can take plastic containers for play materials
· Use yoghurt pots and similar containers to grow seedlings
· Use the top parts of soft drinks bottles as cloches for plants
Refilling plastic containers
Refilling of plastic containers remains a desirable but limited option, with only the Body shop offering a refill service for its products. However, one innovative community group, WyeCycle in Kent, has developed a refill service for washing-up liquid and other household products, as an additional service to their kerbside collection of recyclables and kitchen waste.
ECOVER will set you up with the equipment to run a refill service of their products.
Recycled plastic
Increasing numbers of products now have recycled plastic content, or are totally made from recycled plastics. As with other recyclable materials, it is worth encouraging the purchase of recycled plastic products as a means of boosting the markets for collected waste plastic. To find out more about where to purchase recycled plastic goods, have a look at the UK Recycled Products Guide produced by Waste Watch in conjunction with the National Recycling Forum.
Encourage your local authority to buy street furniture and fence posts made from recycled mixed plastics, and look out for products such as recycled bin liners when you go shopping.
Local groups and plastics collections
If your group does decide to start a scheme, you will need to :
· Talk to your local authority about their plans for collecting plastics
· Ensure there is a reliable market for the material you collect. Find out if any firms in your area recycle plastics, what type or types they will accept, minimum quantities required, prices and collection arrangements.
· Think about the volume of material you will have to collect. Plastics are very light : one tonne means 300,000 polythene bags. Considerable storage space will be needed, and this couls present a fire hazard. Access to baling facilities would be helpful, especially if you collect materials such as stretch wrap (LDPE)
· Identify and sort the materials. It can take time to distinguish the different types of plastic. Most containers are labelled using the American Society of Plastics Industry marking code for the six main types of plastic. More details about this are available from the Waste Watch Wasteline fact-sheet on plastics.
Further information
British Plastic Federation
Environment team
6 Bath Place
Rivington Street
London
EC2A 3JE
Tel : 0171 457 5000
Fax : 0171 457 5045
ECOVER
169 New Greenham Park
Newbury
Berks
RG15 8JH
LINPAC Plastics International Ltd
A1 Business Park
Knottingley
West Yorkshire
WF11 0BL
Tel : 01977 671 111
RECOUP
(Recycling of Used Plastic (Containers) Ltd)
9 Metro Centre
welbeck way
Shrewsbury Avenue
Woodstone
Peterborough
Cambridgeshire
PE2 7WH
Tel : 01733 390021
Fax : 01773 390031
E-mail : enquiries@recoup.org
Website : www.recoup.org/recoup/
Save-a-Cup Co. Ltd
Suite 2
Bridge House
Bridge Street
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 2EL
Tel : 01494 510167
Fax : 01494 510168
WyeCycle
18 Scotton Street
Wye
Kent
TN25 5BZ
Tel : 01233 813298
Fax : 01233 813298
TEXTILES
Although estimates of the amount of textiles thrown away by households each year vary between 1/2 million and 1 million tonnes, this till represents a minimum of 2.5% of our domestic waste by weight. The Textile Recycling Association estimates that only 25% of this waste is currently recovered. In addition to domestic sources, textile waste arises from during yarn and fabric manufacture, clothes manufacturing and the retail industry. These wastes are defined as post-industrial waste, whereas waste going to jumble sales and charity shops is defined as post-consumer waste. Together, they represent a vast potential for recovery and recycling.
Reuse
Used but wearable clothes are donated and collected by well known charities such as SCOPE, Oxfam and The Salvation Army and re-sold in their high street charity shops to raise funds for their work. There are also a number of community recycling organisations who run successful textile collection schemes, for example, the Community Recycling Venture in Tipton, the West Midlands, who currently collect and sort unwanted clothes from about 30,000 households , then sell them on to a textile merchant for re-use in third world countries. Better prices can be obtained if you are able to sort the fabrics, but this is only usually worthwhile if you are dealing with hundreds of tonnes. You could also raise funds for your group by holding jumble sales and selling any left-overs to a textile merchant, or even open up your own community shop!
Recycling
Some garments can be remade into new clothes. Pure knitted and woven wools are pulled or ripped apart into original fibre and this "shoddy" is then either spun or mixed with other fibres to make new yarn. Woven woollen materials are pulled and then used in the manufacture of dressing gowns, blankets and other furnishings. Knitted synthetics can also be made into new blankets. Cottons can be used in making high quality paper or cut up to make industrial wipers.
Synthetic materials and low grade textiles are used in the manufacture of "flock", a filling materials for upholstery, car interior padding, bedding and roofing felt.
Collecting textiles
If you are planning a textile collection from households, this will be much more effective if you combine it with the collection of other materials. A number of community recycling groups operating kerbside collections now do this.
If you decide to collect textiles:
· Telephone local merchants to compare prices, find out which materials they will accept and minimum quantities
· Work out your transport costs and ensure you have a place where you can safely store textiles in a dry place. As a guide, one tonne of mixed rags will fill about 120 black dust-bin bags
· The materials you collect must be clean and dry - storing piles of damp clothing can cause mould growth, which can lead to spontaneous combustion!
· Check with your merchants about sorting requirements, this will effect the price you will get
· Check if paired shoes and hand-bags are wanted, plastic or leather
· Give plenty of advance publicity of the date of collection if you are arranging a door-to-door collection - and stick to it!
· If you decide to provide house-holders with bags, think carefully about the colour of the sacks you buy in - black is mostly identified with general rubbish and could cause confusion to your collection team unless flagged with a special, highly visible label. Yellow is used for clinical waste and red is generally used for asbestos.
Supporting current collection schemes
Textile reclamation has developed significantly in recent years. Even though much potential for expansion exists, there are now over 3,000 clothing banks in the UK, primarily operated by well known charities with local authorities.
If there is no textile bank scheme in your area, you may wish to discuss how you could work with your local authority to provide this service. Alternatively, why not try discussing ideas with local charity shops about how you could work together to increase the amount of textiles reclaimed?
Further information
British Apparel and Textile Centre
5 Portland place
London
W1N 3AA
Tel : 0171 636 7788
Textile Recycling Association
5 High Street
Boxworth
Cambridge
CB3 8LY
Tel : 01954 268000
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
Household hazardous waste (HHW) is a generic term for all those waste products we generate but tend to store in our garden sheds or under the stairs cupboards! For example, HHW products will include antifreeze, garden pesticides and chemicals, batteries, paints, varnishes, some cleaning products (such as oven cleaners), solvents, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and fluorescent tubes and lamps.
While HHW is only a small fraction of total domestic waste, it represents an important area of concern, as the negative environmental effects of careless disposal are high in comparison to the weight of materials involved.
In addition to the actual waste materials, HHW can also consist of the packaging in which those materials are contained, as they will often be contaminated by the hazardous substances they once held.
Recycling
Recycling facilities for HHW remain extremely limited in the UK, although there is growing pressure for action and some small developments have taken place. Developments may well occur, particularly on battery collection, when the new EU Directive on Batteries comes fully into force.
Reuse
More potential exists for the re-use of some HHW products, particularly paints. Householders in the UK buy 150 million litres of paint every year. Many store up unused paint because they are unsure of the best means of disposal.
Setting up paint re-use schemes is a developing option for existing community recycling projects. Innovative schemes in Leeds and Ealing in London have shown the potential for collecting unused paint from households, and offering the re-usable paints to community organisations for their own use. Paint re-use projects can offer a number of benefits:
· Community buildings can be refurbished that would otherwise remain neglected
· A reduction in the use of landfill
· The raising of environmental awareness in the wider community
The Community Re-Paint scheme has been supported by multi-million pound funding from ICI Dulux and Biffaward and in 1998, over 9,500 litres of paint were distributed to nearly 500 local groups for use on a wide range of local projects with social, environmental and educational benefits. There are currently 14 Community Re-Paint schemes across the UK, and grant support of £3,000 is available to community groups looking to set up a new project.
Further information
National Household Hazardous Waste Forum
C/o Save Waste and Prosper
74 Kirkgate
Leeds
LS2 7DJ
Tel : 0113 246 7584
Fax : 0113 234 4222
Community > Re Paint
Contact : Ashley Robb
Save Waste And Prosper Ltd
74 Kirkgate
Leeds
LS2 7DJ
Tel : 0113 243 8777
Fax : 0113 234 4222
The Waste Watch Wasteline Tel : 0870 243 0136 for further information and free fact-sheets on fluorescent tubes and battery recycling.