Recolight highlights of 2013
2013 was an important year for Recolight and for the lighting industry, which saw the recast of the WEEE Directive and its transposition into law through the revised WEEE Regulations. I wanted to highlight some of the most exciting developments, which came towards the end of last year.
WEEE Regulations
In December, the UK became the first EU Member State to have transposed the recast WEEE directive into national law.
The WEEE Regulations 2013 came into force on 1 January 2014, and included some wide ranging and controversial measures, such as introducing targets for compliance schemes collecting household WEEE, and classifying integrated LED light sources in the same category as gas discharge lamps.
The final outcome is a system that is fairer, will encourage higher recycling rates, and should ensure that the UK meets the targets laid down in the recast directive.
Our luminaire compliance service
At this year’s LuxLive exhibition, Recolight launched a combined WEEE compliance service for luminaires and lamps. We are expanding our compliance offering to reflect the changing market and to increase the national collection rate for luminaires.
Recolight’s goal is to work with our members to dramatically improve the WEEE recycling rate for separately collected luminaires. Building on our success in the collection of waste lamps, which now show a collection rate of 39.5%, we will put in place strategies to increase the national recycling rate of separately collected luminaires from its current level of 0.6%, which is far too low.
New Membership Development Manager
We recently announced the appointment of our new Membership Development Manager, Adrian Willis.
Adrian has worked in the UK lighting industry for the last 18 years. He joins Recolight from the UK component distributor Prime Light Electrical Ltd, and will play an integral role in ensuring our existing members are kept abreast of developments in the industry, which will be especially important with the introduction of the updated WEEE Regulations.
Bertie Bulb out and about
Lord Mayor’s Show
Bertie Bulb, our low-energy light bulb on a high energy mission to recycle, was at the Lord Mayor’s Show on 9th November highlighting the need to recycle low-energy light bulbs.
LuxLive
Bertie Bulb was also out and about mingling with the lighting industry at this year’s LuxLive, the leading trade show in lighting. He made a guest appearance during the show in Earls Court, and then he greeted VIPs at the champagne reception of the Lux Awards, where 1,000 of the industry’s high flyers attended a stunning awards ceremony.
