How to dispose of scrap metal the legal way

Selling your scrap metal can earn you a decent return, but it’s important to know the rules regarding what is and what isn’t legal, as falling on the wrong side of the law could lead to hefty fines and penalties.

Here’s our run down of some important rules you should follow.

First of all, while you can make money from selling on your scrap metal, it is important that you source it from your own home or your car. If you want to go out and collect scrap metal from other people, then you require a license such as a mobile collector’s license or a site collector’s license. This is the case even for your friends, family and neighbours. You should also never try and get your scrap metal from public land, abandoned sites, buildings or bins and skips as this is deemed as theft.

If you are approached by someone offering to buy your scrap metal from you then ask to see their license. If they can’t prove that they have one, then you should refuse. Without going to a reputable and fully licensed trader, you have no way of knowing whether you are getting a good deal and whether your scrap will be disposed of in a legal way. Income from illegal scrap metal activities has regularly been linked to organised crime and scrap metal theft costs the UK economy over £220m each year.

In order to follow the latest government rulings, all scrap metal deals now have to be above-board and traceable. In practice this means that no-cash can be paid for scrap metal trades. Instead, bank transfers and cheques are now the chosen method of exchange.

Here at LSPS we are one of Leicestershire’s largest independent ferrous and non-ferrous metal recyclers. We are fully licensed, offer extremely competitive prices in line with industry rates and can collect larger amounts of scrap metal directly from you.

To find out more contact LSPS today on 0800 083 7807 or simply call in with your scrap metal. We are open Monday – Friday between 07:30 and 16:30 and Saturdays from 7:30 until midday.

Reverse vending machines helping UK shoppers to earn from recycling

Customers at Iceland supermarkets have earned an equivalent of more than £30,000 by recycling their used plastic bottles in the first trial of reverse vending machines in a major national supermarket.

The scheme, pioneered by the Iceland supermarket chain, aims to reward shoppers with vouchers worth 10p for every deposit of a plastic bottle bought at their shop in an effort to reduce plastic waste. Encouraging figures show that a total of 311,500 plastic bottles were recycled to date across stores in Deeside, Wolverhampton, Mold, Fulham and Musselburgh.

The trial by the frozen food retailer was the first of such schemes but has now been followed by similar efforts in Co-Op stores, Morrisons supermarkets and several national music festivals this summer.

Commenting on the scheme, Richard Walker, Managing Director at Iceland, said: “We’ve gained hugely valuable insights into both consumer interest and the functionality of the schemes, and it’s clear from the results that consumers want to tackle the problem of plastic head on, and would be in support of a nationwide scheme.

“We’ll be using these findings to inform future Iceland initiatives, and will be sharing our findings with DEFRA and across the industry to ensure any nationwide roll-outs are comprehensive and effective in our goal of tackling the issue of single-use plastics.”

Iceland has a strong commitment to positive change for the environment and was also the first UK supermarket to remove palm oil from all of its own label ranges. Palm oil has been linked heavily to the destruction of habitats of endangered species such as orangutans.

It is currently estimated that more than 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans each year, which has a disastrous impact on marine life and also enters the food chain through seafood.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

Walkers launches crisp packet recycling scheme

Walkers Crisps has begun a recycling campaign for their crisp packets following pressure from consumers and environmental groups.

Walkers became the focus of an internet campaign behind the hashtag #PacketInWalkers. The campaign on social media encouraged consumers to publish pictures of themselves posting empty crisp packets to the Walkers company after photos emerged of crisp packets more than 30 years old found entirely intact – highlighting the need for new environmentally friendly packaging materials.

The social media campaign asked members of the public to send used Walkers crisps packets back to the Leicester-based manufacturer with the freepost address attached on a piece of paper and taped to the packet. In turn this forced the Royal Mail to ask protesters to put the packets in envelopes before posting, after problems arose at their sorting offices with loose crisp packets.

In response to the campaign, Walkers Crisps has officially launched a new recycling scheme aimed at dealing with the problem. Crisp packets can now be sent to the company TerraCycle who will help recycle them after they have been dropped off at special collection points across the country. The campaign will allow for all brands of crisp packets – not just Walkers.

Collection points close to Leicester can be found at the following locations:

- Visit Leicester, 51 Gallowtree Gate, Leicester, L1 5AD

- Wilson’s Convenience Store, 26 Ratby Road, Groby, LE6 0GG

- 7 Melba Way, Birstall, Leicester, L24 4GT

Ian Ellington, general manager of Walker’s parent company PepsiCo UK commented on the scheme:

"This is another important step towards our ambition to make all of our packaging 100 per cent recyclable, compostable or biodegradable by 2025. This is the first crisp packet recycling scheme in the UK and it will only work if everyone gets collecting and sending in, which is why we've made the scheme as simple as possible and free."

Click here for more details on the scheme: https://www.walkers.co.uk/recycle

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

Mixed progress for recycling rates in England

A new report from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has shown progress in some areas of recycling in England and regression in other areas.

The new report has confirmed a 0.3% increase in recycling rates, increasing from 44.9% in 2016 to 45.2% in 2017. The total amount of ‘waste from households’ in England decreased by 1.5% in 2017 to 22.4 million tonnes from 22.8 million tonnes in 2016. This equates to 403 kg per person which is down from 412kg per person in 2016 – a total decrease of 2.2%.

Residual waste treated decreased from 12.5 million tonnes in 2016 to 12.3 million tonnes – a total decrease of 2.1%, while the overall figure of recycled waste decreased from 10.2 million tonnes in 2016 to 10.1 million tonnes in 2017.

The volume of dry recycling dropped from 6.0 million tonnes of waste in 2016 to 5.9 million tonnes in 2016, food waste recycling increased from 355 thousand tonnes to 386 thousand tonnes, while organic waste stayed the same at around 3.8 million tonnes.

EU targets are encouraging member states to meet targets of household waste recycling of 55% by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035 together with packaging directives of 65% recycling by 2025 and 70% by 2030. These targets aim to reduce emissions, waste and potentially save billions of pounds in waste, greenhouse gas and social costs. UK officials have stated that the EU’s directive targets will be transferred into UK law after leaving the European Union.

Commenting on the targets earlier this year, Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “I want the UK to lead the way in driving global resource efficiency and that’s why, as well as backing the EU’s circular economy package, we have committed to publishing a new resources and waste strategy in 2018.

“As we leave the EU we’ll be able to explore how we go even further to help achieve our aim of leaving our environment in a better state than we inherited it”.

Click HERE to read the full report.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

How to choose an eco-friendly Christmas tree

With an ever-growing understanding on the fragile nature of mother earth, many people in the UK and across the world are putting their purchasing habits under greater scrutiny than ever before. This covers not only our food shops and the clothes that we buy but also at this time of year, the gifts and seasonal products that we buy for ourselves and others. One dilemma that we’re going to discuss here is that of the humble Christmas Tree.

Christmas trees are the ultimate way to embrace the festive spirit in your home, but it can be difficult to make a decision on which type to buy, especially when questions of waste and manufacturing resources are to be considered.

Artificial trees

As a rule of thumb if you already have an artificial Christmas tree then you should try and keep using it for as long as you possibly can. Fake plastic trees require mammoth amounts of energy to produce and eventually will need replacing which creates more waste to be dealt with. Where possible you should keep using or at least find another home for it using online selling sites like Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace before purchasing a new one.

Natural trees

If you’ve managed to find a home for your artificial tree, or this is the first time you’ve had a tree and you are craving the fresh pine smell that they give off then try and look out for one’s with an FSC label attached. This mean’s that it has been approved as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council. If you want to go one step further, then you can look out for a tree grown by the Soil Association which means it is totally organic and pesticide-free. Do bear in mind that you and the millions of other people buying only get one use out of a real Christmas tree and so sustainability is important.

After Christmas is over and the decorations come down you will need to think about how to dispose of your natural Christmas tree. You can take them to a waste recycling centre or tip where they will be shredded for use in parks and paths or composted.

Other options

An increasingly popular way to find a Christmas tree is to buy a potted Christmas tree with roots still intact. This means that with the right care you can use it again the following year which saves you money and has less of a hit on the environment. Another option for you is to source a Christmas tree on a rent-a-tree hire basis from a garden centre or plant nursery which will be potted and will be able to carry on growing once it is returned to where it came from.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

Recycle your oral care products in Leicester for charity

Oral care products such as toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes are made up of a complex mix of materials that make them particularly troublesome when it comes to recycling. However, thanks to a new campaign from leading oral care brand Colgate, residents of Leicester are now able to confidently recycle them.

The newly launched Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme in conjunction with TerraCycle is encouraging consumers to recycle their waste from their oral care products including the following items:

- Toothbrushes

- Toothpaste tubes

- Toothpaste caps

- Toothbrush outer packaging

- Electric toothbrush heads

- Battery toothbrush heads

- Toothpaste cartons

The items are not restricted to Colgate and can be made by any brand. What’s more, the scheme offers an added incentive as it will raise funds for the school, charity or non-profit organisation of the sender’s choice.

Once collected, the products and packaging are separated by the type of polymer they contain, are cleaned and then extruded into plastic pellets to make new recycled products. However, those participating are asked to remove any leftover product and dry them completely before bringing them in.

Commenting on the news, Philip Durocher, general manager of Colgate UK, said: “With the global plastics issue high on the agenda for all, the Colgate Oral Care Recycling Programme promotes sustainability. We really encourage people to take advantage of the programme and recycle their oral care products and packaging via the programme and tell their friends and family about this new recycling initiative.”

The joint scheme operated by Colgate and TerraCycle is available throughout the UK with various drop-off locations across the country. In Leicester the nearest drop-off zone is Whitehouse Dental Surgery, 386 East Park Road, Leicester, LE5 5HH.

For more information on the initiative please click here: https://www.terracycle.co.uk/en-GB/brigades/colgate#how-it-works.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.

How do I safely dispose of fireworks?

We’re at that time of year now where fireworks begin to pop up in the sky. In the weeks and days surrounding Bonfire Night, and again at New Years Eve, a great many people in the UK come together to celebrate with their own fireworks displays. However, if you’re new to the experience then you might not know how best to dispose of your fireworks.

Safe practices

First of all, it’s important to remember that as amazing and wonderous as fireworks can be, they are very dangerous in the wrong hands. Make sure that you follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter and that only people over the age of 18 are allowed to handle them.

You also need to check that the fireworks you have purchased are safe to use – look out for British Standard BS 7114: 1988 certification.

Disposing of fireworks – do’s and don’ts

Don’t rush in and start clearing up before allowing time for any delayed fireworks to explode

Don’t rush in and start clearing away parts before you’ve given them time to cool down

Do wear protective gloves to avoid irritating chemicals on your skin

Don’t put the parts straight in the bin

Do soak fireworks, debris and components in water for 1-3 days before disposing of them

Don’t pour said water into local water sources or rivers

Do wrap your fireworks up in a refuse bag and dispose of in the bin after soaking

What the law says:

Regulation 28 Explosives Regulation 2014 (ER14) requires - Any person who discards or disposes of explosives or explosive-contaminated items must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that they are discarded, or disposed of safely.

Any person who decontaminates explosive-contaminated items must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that they are decontaminated safely.

And, by Order of Secretary of State 11 (3) made under the provisions of the Explosives Act 1875 requires persons not to deposit explosives in receptacles or places appropriated for refuse and states that explosives shall not be handed or forwarded to persons or vehicles employed or appropriated for the removal or conveyance of refuse.

Click here to read The Explosives Regulations in full: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1638/contents/made.

Finally, one last additional thing to remember is that while bonfires are typically allowed (and encouraged) around bonfire night you need to be careful over what you burn. Burning toxic items such as plastics or contaminated (treated) woods can be harmful to both your health and the environment.

Here at LSPS, recycling is of great importance to us and we help businesses and individuals all across Leicestershire to reduce the amount of their waste that ends up at landfill sites. Our Waste Transfer Station is open to traders and has an extensive range of state-of-the-art equipment.

To find out how about we can help with your waste disposal needs please contact us on 0800 083 7807 or visit our website for further information.