Tackling contaminated recycling waste

In 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

From 1^st 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 1^st 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.

How to dispose of hazardous waste

Any product which may cause harm to people or the environment is considered hazardous. Waste of this kind can be found in both solid, liquid and gas form and fines of up to £5,000 can be issued to anyone who breaks the law by incorrectly disposing of hazardous waste.

Hazardous waste comes in many forms and a lot of items can be found within the home, such as:

• Antifreeze
• Brake fluid
• Batteries
• Paint
• White spirit
• Glue
• Gas cylinders
• Asbestos
• Fluorescent lights
• Pesticides
• Insecticides
• Weed killers

If you wish to dispose of any products like this you should take them to your local recycling centre so they can be disposed of correctly and you should never put items of this kind in your rubbish bin or pour any hazardous liquids down the drain. Hazardous waste needs to be disposed of correctly because the chemicals can contaminate soil, the local water supply and pollute the air we breathe.

Asbestos is particularly harmful causing deadly lung diseases and up until recently it was a product that was widely used in buildings. If you discover asbestos in your home or business premises it must be safely removed by a licensed contractor and it will then be disposed of as hazardous waste. The property owner is responsible for ensuring that asbestos is disposed of safely so that the material does not endanger themselves, their family, employees or anyone else who is likely to come into contact with the material.

At LSPS we do not dispose of hazardous waste but you can take this kind of waste to one of the household waste recycling centres in Leicestershire. For more information on our waste recycling and waste disposal services please click here or contact us on 0800 083 7807.

Is recycling part of your New Year resolutions?

Quitting smoking, losing weight and giving up alcohol are perhaps the most common New Year resolutions. An easy to achieve addition could be to live a little greener and recycle more.

A good place to start is not to throw out your old tech equipment. Kindles, iPads, smart phones and HD TV’s are at the top of many people’s wish lists and you may have received some of these as a Christmas gift or picked up a bargain in the sales. However, you should not discard your old tech so hastily. Products such as these often contain toxic chemicals, take up a lot of room in landfill sites and most importantly may contain materials that are reusable. You should firstly consider selling the product or donating it to a charity, but if it is broken there are companies who will take it off your hands and refurbish it or strip it back for parts.

Clothing is another area you could address. If you have clothes that you are never going to wear again consider donating them to charity so someone else can benefit from them. There should be clothing & shoe recycling bins located at the majority of local recycling centres and making a donation can be a great way of freeing up some space in your wardrobe.

General household recycling is fairly straight forward once you have things prepared but you can make the process easier by buying products that can be recycled. Paper, plastic, metal and glass can all be recycled so when you’re shopping consider what the packaging is made from and if it can be easily recycled. Many products are now made from recycled materials which will be highlighted by a label and purchasing these products is a great way to limit the amount of raw materials being used.

To reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill sites, LSPS is dedicated to recycling every possible item. For more information on our waste recycling and waste disposal services please click here or contact us on 0800 083 7807 to find out how we can help.

6 skip hire safety tips

If you intend to hire a skip to clear out some rubbish from your home, possibly created by recent DIY home improvements, it’s important that you load your skip in a safe manner. The following six tips will help you maintain a safe working environment for the benefit of both you and the other people around you.

1. Preparation

Prior to delivery you must carefully choose where to locate your skip to allow for easy loading that minimises the risk of injury. To achieve this you should select an area that is flat, stable and free of obstructions.

2. Skip delivery

When it comes to the day your skip is delivered you must give the driver clear instructions as to where and how you want the skip positioned. You must also make sure the immediate vicinity is clear of people, pets or children. Skips are very heavy, therefore you should not attempt to reposition the skip because you could cause injury to yourself or cause damage to your property.

3. Public Safety

If your skip needs to be located on a public road you will be need to get a skip permit from your local authority. We can secure this permit on your behalf.

4. Skip loading

The best way to fill a skip is to load all the larger/heavier items first and smaller items such as rubble and soil will fill in the gaps. However, when loading heavy items it is highly recommended that you seek an extra pair of hands. Because of the real risk of injuring your back you must pay particular attention to the way you lift heavy objects. You should always bend your knees and lift with your legs.

5. Don’t overfill your skip

One of the most dangerous scenarios is an overfilled skip and it is illegal for a skip hire company to move a skip that is overfilled. An overfilled skip is where the waste contents are protruding above the sides of the skip. So make sure you order a skip that is big enough in the first place to avoid having to order two skips.

6. Hazardous waste

Hazardous waste items should not be put in a skip. Items like asbestos, batteries, tyres or fridges have to be disposed of differently to the majority of building waste.

If you are considering hiring a skip, more information can be found here or contact us on 0800 083 7807 to find out how we can help.

Single-use plastic bags cut by 80%

In October 2015 the government introduced a 5p charge for single-use carrier bags in the hope that more people would use reusable carrier bags or ‘bags for life’. The early figures from leading supermarket Tesco suggest that the 5p charge has led to an almost 80% drop in the amount of single-use carrier bags being used.

This reduction has exceeded Tesco’s own expectations and is in line with the higher end of the government’s estimations. Prior to the 5p charge the average British shopper used 11 carrier bags a month and the cost to clean up plastic bag waste was around £10m each year. In England alone, 7.64 billion plastic bags were given away by supermarkets in 2014.

The 80% drop produced by the 5p scheme is in line with figures from Wales and Scotland. Single-use carrier bag charges were introduced in Wales in 2011 and in Scotland in October 2014. Stats from these countries suggest that the amount of ‘bags for life’ used has quadrupled and both have seen a 79-80% drop in the amount of single-use carrier bags used.

Importantly, the profits from the 5p charge will be donated to a charity of the retailers own choosing and the drop in the amount of single-use carrier bags being used should be beneficial to our environment. The long term goal of the 5p charge scheme is to reduce the amount of single-use carrier bags being taken home which will in turn reduce the amount of litter and waste produced by the product. This scheme is encouraging people to reuse carrier bags which is recycling in its most basic form and the more recycling we can do the better our environment will be.

At LSPS, recycling is a major consideration of ours and we are committed to recycling every possible item in order to reduce the amount of waste being delivered to our landfill sites. For more information on our waste recycling and waste disposal services please click here or contact us on 0800 083 7807 to find out how we can help.

How 5 different scrap metals are re-used

Metal is a very important material that is used in a wide variety of products. In a previous article we discussed 3 crucial benefits to recycling metal and in this article we will highlight what products can be created using recycled metal.

1. Copper

Copper is the most commonly sold metal because of its value. The material is an excellent conductor of electricity and is frequently used to create electrical wire, circuits, switches and electromagnets. Additionally, it is commonly used in plumbing for pipes and can be found in refrigerators and cookware.

2. Aluminium

Aluminium is a widely used material because it is a strong, flexible and light-weight material and compared to other metals it has a low melting point meaning it is easier to recycle. Recycled aluminium is used in several different products such as vehicles, building materials, packaging and high voltage electrical lines.

3. Tin

Tin is another highly valued form of metal that has many uses. One of the most common products made from tin is cans. These are made from a tinplate, a steel sheet with a thin layer of tin applied. Other uses of tin can be found in the mechanics of vehicles, springs and flat panel display screens such as plasma TV’s.

4. Lead

Recycled batteries are one of the main sources of lead. Lead can be recycled from a battery and used in a new battery but it is also used in X-ray machines for radiation protection.

5. Zinc

Zinc is a material that we come into contact with regularly because our £1 and £2 coins are partly made out of zinc. To protect steel and iron from corrosion a zinc based coating is applied in a process called galvanisation. Zinc is also used as an anode material in batteries and by alloying zinc and copper you can make brass.

If you are interested in selling any of your scrap metal for recycling, LSPS is one of Leicestershire's largest independent ferrous and non-ferrous metal recyclers. For more information on our scrap metal recycling services please click here or contact us on 0800 083 7807 to find out how we can help.