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LSPS Ltd
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Tackling contaminated recycling waste

clip_image002In many areas of the UK, recycling centres are battling with the problem of contaminated recycling waste. This is where non-recyclable materials are being found mixed in with waste that should be ready for recycling. Some councils are seeing contamination levels as high as 8%.

The issue here is that sorting through recycling waste in search for contaminates is not straight forward. The waste will generally include paper, glass, cardboard, plastics and metals which are easy to spot. However, some products are made out of multiple materials such as children’s toys which are often made of both metal and plastic. On their own these materials can be recycled but when they are included in one product this is not possible.

This contamination issue has been highlighted since new legislation was introduced in 2015 which stated that recyclable waste had to be checked more thoroughly. However, the contamination issue can be prevented by making sure the right items are put in the right bins in the first place and that they are cleaned beforehand. Nappies and food waste are some of the most commonly found non-recyclable products found at recycling centres.

Most councils will accept:

· Glass in the form of clean bottles and jars

· Metal products such as clean foil, cans and food tins

· Plastics items like clean tubs, shampoo bottles and yogurt pots

· Paper and cardboard products such as clean pizza boxes, food and drink cartons

However, what can and cannot be recycled is likely to vary from council to council, so you must check first before putting items into your recycling bin. To find out what you can put in your recycling bin please visit your local county council’s website. For residents of Leicestershire please visit the Leicestershire County Council website and then navigate to your local district council website from there.

At LSPS, recycling is a major consideration of ours and we are dedicated to recycling as much as possible to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill sites. For information on our waste recycling and waste disposal services please click here or contact us on 0800 083 7807.

Hazardous waste rules changing

clip_image002From 1st April 2016, premises that produce hazardous waste in England will no longer be required to register with the Environment Agency in order to dispose of their waste. The government has implemented this change because they are trying to reduce the amount of red tape businesses have to adhere to and therefore make the process easier.

Presently, businesses must register every year with the Environment Agency if they remove, produce or collect more than 500kg of hazardous waste. The changes from 1st April 2016 will only affect premises in England - premises in Wales will need to continue to register with Natural Resources Wales.

Additionally, the format of the consignment note will change for any quantity of hazardous waste and the old format will no longer be accepted. More information about these changes can be found here and some frequently asked questions about premises registration can be found here

In a previous blog we discussed methods of disposing and what is considered hazardous waste. Hazardous waste is defined as any product that could be harmful to the environment or humans and therefore must be disposed of correctly. This is because the chemicals can cause significant damage to soil, water supplies and the atmosphere.

Households should take any hazardous waste to one Leicestershire’s household waste recycling centres so that it can be disposed of correctly. LSPS does not dispose of hazardous waste but for information on our waste recycling and waste disposal services please click here or contact us on 0800 083 7807.

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