Modest increases for lamp and luminaire recycling rates in 2017
Recolight has welcomed a further increase in the UK’s annual lighting waste recycling rates. Data released today by the Environment Agency (EA) shows that the 2017 lamp recycling rate was 48.5% – up from 47.5% in 2015. At the same time, the luminaire rate also increased from 7.1% to 7.5%.
Commenting on the news, Nigel Harvey, Recolight CEO explains “We are pleased that the lamp recycling rate in 2017 has continued to grow. The long term trend continues to be positive. In 2012, the rate was 39.5%, so a rate of 48.5% five years later is pleasing. Recolight continue to make our free lamp collection service available, and that stimulates and encourages more recycling.”
He added “The tonnage of LED lamps collected still remains low – at around 1%. This can be expected to grow in future years, but it will still be more than a decade before LED tonnages are close to the tonnages of fluorescent lamp waste.”
Turning to the luminaire recycling rate, he added “The luminaire recycling rate has moved up from 7.1% in 2016 to 7.5% in 2017. An increasing number of Recolight members now request free waste lamp and luminaire collections during multi-site LED luminaire rollouts. Recolight collects the waste lamps, traditional fittings, and batteries that arise.”
The luminaire recycling rate is inevitably lower than that for lamps as many are collected along with scrap metal.
Note: The recycling rates above are calculated by dividing the tonnage of WEEE reported by all PCSs, by the tonnage of EEE placed on the market in the same year. These calculations do not include non-obligated WEEE.
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About Recolight
Recolight is the leading UK WEEE compliance scheme for the lighting industry, taking on responsibility for its members’ WEEE compliance, giving their customers access to the UK’s most comprehensive free lamp collection and recycling service, and helping to ensure that as many lamps as possible are kept out of landfill.
Recolight’s comprehensive offering makes it the preferred WEEE scheme for the lighting industry, setting the standard for the sector. It is the only WEEE compliance scheme in the UK to provide integrated Lamp and Luminaire collection and recycling. It has the biggest UK-wide network of collection points for all WEEE lighting. As a result, since its founding in 2007, Recolight has funded the recycling of over 295 million lamps, LEDs and luminaires, more than all other UK WEEE schemes put together.
In 2012, Recolight won “Recycling and Waste Management Business of the Year” at the National Recycling Awards and Nigel Harvey, Recolight’s CEO, was recognised as LUX Person of the Year.
