Case studies

Click the titles below to read the full case studies.

European examples: HHW collections in Antwerp, Belgium (Biffa Waste Services)

Summary

Separate collection facilities for HHW allow hazardous materials to be segregated out of the domestic waste stream. This is beneficial for a number of reasons:

  • hazardous waste can be controlled and contained
  • local pollution incidents are reduced, eg less pouring of oil or paint down drains
  • contamination of the rest of the waste stream is reduced
  • householders are given a means of segregating their waste.

How does it work?

Most householders in the region are provided with a 30-litre tamper-proof box and/or have the option of dropping off materials at a civic amenity site. The boxes are emptied on board the collection vehicle and the waste is then taken to the treatment plant. On arrival, each container is weighed and labelled.

Biffa Waste Service's treatment plant is a facility designed to deal with a number of hazardous waste streams arising from both domestic and commercial sources. The plant is located in Antwerp in the northern Flanders region of Belgium.

The plant consists of a laboratory, a cryogenics facility (including a shredder that can process 80 drums per hour), a water treatment facility (with 700,000-litre capacity) and a 30-tonne storage facility. In 1997, the plant dealt with over 8000 tonnes of hazardous waste from both commercial and household sources. It has been estimated that the costs of treatment of hazardous waste are between £10-£15 per household per year. This has been partly subsidised by the landfill and producer responsibility taxes.

The treatment costs are approximately £400 per tonne, which compares favourably with high temperature incineration which can be as high £4,000 per tonne. Thus for many companies, there are economic advantages to be gained from segregating hazardous waste for recycling.

Treatment

There are a variety of treatment options available, depending on the type of HHW. The table below illustrates the disposal/recycling routes for the hazardous materials that are collected in the region.

Disposal and recycling routes for collected materials

Recycling Incineration Landfill
Aerosols Acids/alkalis Asbestos
Batteries - lead acid Batteries - primary Smoke alarms
Batteries - secondary Clinical waste  
Cooking oils Garden chemicals  
Fire extinguishers Motoring products  
Fluorescent tubes Pharmaceuticals  
Mercury Tyres  
Motor oil    
Oil filters    
Paint related products    
Pet care products    
Photo-chemicals    
Refrigerants    
Solvents    
X ray plate    


 

European examples: HHW Collections in The Hague, Netherlands

This case study is based on a study tour by SWAP in the Summer of 2000.

Summary

AVR is the waste collection agency in The Hague. It operates domestic and commercial waste collections, as well as managing the civic amenity sites within the city.

It has operated a successful hazardous waste collection scheme for small businesses and householders since 1989. The scheme operates as a bring system for householders and a call-out system for businesses. In 1999, the scheme diverted 470 tonnes of HHW, much of which was recycled. This equates to just over 2kg per household per year. This is likely to be one of the highest collection rates in Europe.

The schemes success has been put down to an effective promotions strategy to sustain awareness of the service by AVR and the use of bulking-up facilities allowing the service to be cost effective.

How does it work?

1. Collections

Each household is provided with a 25-litre tamper-proof hazardous waste box to store HHW products. This allows safe storage and reduces the manual handling of the HHW. Once the box is full, the householder is expected to take the container to one of the 64 amnesty collection points located throughout the city. Each of these collection points also has a small container specifically for the collection of batteries. The collection points are serviced once a month and the material is taken to a central consolidation point.

Civic amenity sites can also receive hazardous waste from households and small businesses. Businesses are charged a small fee for this service.

2. Sorting and consolidation

The hazardous waste materials are then taken to a central 'Chemo-depot' where each of the boxes is emptied and then sorted according to chemical or product type. The Chemo-depot allows the sorting and bulking up of HHW. A number of disposal options are available, depending on the type of HHW.

3. Disposal and recycling routes

(a) Paint

Paint and decorative coatings are bulked up and can be taken to a facility in the Netherlands owned by Cleanaway. At this plant, all the containers are shredded and a cryogenic technique is used to separate the steel tin plate and polypropylene from the remaining paint. The paint is then used as a contributory feedstock fuel for cement kilns. Both the steel tin-plate and the polypropylene are recycled.

(b) Batteries

Primary and secondary (rechargeable) batteries are stored in 90-litre drums which are periodically transported to Rotterdam to AVR's automated sorting facility. The batteries are sorted by a combination of weight and X-ray analysis. Most of the rechargeable batteries are reprocessed in France, while the primary batteries are predominantly incinerated This method is likely to change with the introduction of the new EU Directive on batteries.

(c) Chemicals

Chemicals are sorted into categories. For any unknown chemical materials, a litmus test is used to assess pH levels. The chemicals are categorised by flammability, toxicity and corrosiveness. Once categorised, the chemicals are bulked up in 90-litre drums and collected twice a week for reprocessing.

The table below provides a summary of the disposal/recycling options for each of the collected materials. The only waste which is landfilled is asbestos; all other wastes are recycled or incinerated.

Disposal and recycling routes for collected materials (1999)

Recycling Incineration Landfill
Acids/alkalis Batteries - primary Asbestos
Batteries - lead acid Clinical waste  
Batteries - secondary Pharmaceutical waste  
Cooking oils    
Fire extinguishers    
Fluorescent tubes    
Motor oil    
Motoring products    
Oil filters    
Paint related products    
Photo-chemicals    
Refrigerants    
Solvents    
Tyres    


 

Source: pers. comm. AVR 2000

The proposed EU Directive on Batteries is going to necessitate each member state to recycle 75% of all types of batteries. This is likely to be one the highest collection rates anywhere in Europe.

"Bring Bring" Scheme - Oxfam


Summary

Oxfam and Isis Telecommunications formed a partnership to collect, resell and recycle second-hand or unwanted mobile phones in June 2001. The partnership recognised that the average life of a mobile phone is just one year. About 4 million replacement phones are sold each year in the UK (source: www.biffa.co.uk). Redundant mobile phones are either discarded with household refuse or stored away at home. The appeal for unwanted phones is to raise money for Oxfam's charitable sources.

Why?

Many mobile phones contain cadmium, which is listed as the seventh most dangerous substance on earth. The majority of discarded mobile phones are deposited in landfill sites. This poses a significant environmental risk as cadmium can leak out of the discarded mobile phones.

The WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Directive requires producers of electrical waste to be responsible for setting up of recovery/reuse/recycling systems and for achieving collection targets for end-of-life equipment.

How does it work?

Donations can be handed over the counter to any of Oxfam's 800 shops nation-wide. There are also facilities to arrange collections at schools and in the workplace. Every donation is assessed as to whether it can be reused and, if this is not feasible, it is recycled. Isis removes and destroys the SIM card in the donor mobile phone and removes any stored telephone numbers. All recycled stock is sent to a reprocessing plant in France, as there is no service of this nature in the UK. The products are stripped of their hazardous metals, which are resold to industry. The plastic is ground down and reused in the construction industry.

Each handset is worth £2 to £20 to Oxfam. One mobile phone could purchase five specially designed water buckets for providing clean water during an emergency or pay for a mosquito net to protect a child from malaria. Many of the mobile phones are exported to African countries with a poor landline structure.

Further information

For further information please visit Oxfam's website www.oxfam.org.uk/mobile/ - or contact:

Mark Harrison
Telephone: 0870 163 5008
E-mail: mark.harrison@isistelecom.com

Nappy laundering services: Nappy Tales


Summary

The debate over the relative environmental benefits of disposable versus reusable nappy is ongoing. However, it is clear that disposable nappies are a significant source of household waste. Strictly speaking, nappies are not HHW, however, they can pose issues for local authorities and over the past ten years, a number of nappy laundering services have been developed to provide busy parents with an easy 'environmental' alternative to disposable nappies. The impetus on local authorities to develop waste minimisation initiatives means that these valuable services are gaining support from their local authorities.

Why?

It has been estimated that nappies make up around 4% of household waste arisings, costing local authorities between £100,000 and £200,000 per year in disposal costs (source: www.realnappy.com).

As the general population is assumed to be healthy, nappies from households are not classed as clinical waste. However, they are part of the sanitary/human hygiene waste stream. Human hygiene wastes can be offensive and generally unpleasant.

The national Bag it and Bin it campaign targets human hygiene wastes in an attempt to reduce the amount of sanitary products such as nappies, condoms, sanitary towels and cotton buds which are flushed down toilets each year.

A major criticism of disposable nappies lies with the quantities of solid waste generated. Nappies are a prime target for waste reduction campaigns due to the quantities disposed of each year and the non-biodegradable nature of the disposable nappies themselves (source: "Preventing nappy waste": www.wen.org.uk).

How does it work?

Nappy Tales provides customers with freshly laundered nappies each week and takes away the dirty nappies for laundering. The organisation provides the customer with a supply of nappies and a deodorised bin to store used nappies prior to collection.

The nappies are laundered at Nappy Tales' own laundry. The nappies are washed and disinfected to thermal disinfection standards set out in the Health Service Guidelines (HSAG(95)18). A sample nappy is sent quarterly to a laboratory to test for hygiene standards. Other nappy laundering services use hospital or industrial laundries.

Typical costs to parents are £8-£10 per week for one child plus an initial registration fee.

Nappy Tales employs two full-time and three part-time staff. The organisation has around 200 customers which represents around 1% of the potential customer base in the geographic area. The waste reduction is significant, diverting approximately 10,000 nappies from landfill each week.

A major barrier to nappy laundering services is lack of awareness and the perception that washable nappies are hard work, smelly and less hygienic.

In a move to raise awareness of the scheme, the local authorities in Buckinghamshire are now promoting Nappy Tales and real nappy manufacturers. The Real Nappy Initiative is supported by the District Councils of Chiltern, Aylesbury Vale, South Buckinghamshire and Wycombe, and Buckinghamshire County Council.

The local authorities provide support in two ways.

1. Promotion of the Nappy Tales services and real nappy manufacturers

Promotion is in partnership with three local hospitals through information on display boards and in information packs supplied to new mothers, as well as having Nappy Tales nappies for the new parents to sample.

2. Subsidised service

The initiative is also subsidising the Nappy Tales service by paying the initial registration fee (which is seen as a potential barrier to the service). In addition, Nappy Tales is providing a discounted rate for the first three months. This is to encourage parents to try the service by reducing the initial costs, which may be perceived as a financial barrier.

The Real Nappy Initiative is still in its infancy, but it should help to increase participation and awareness of the advantages of using real nappies.

Further information

There are at least 17 nappy laundering services operating in the UK. The National Association of Nappy Services (NANS) was established in the early 1990s to co-ordinate work and provide advice and guidance on reusable nappies.

Other sources of information include the Real Nappy Association and the Women's Environmental Network. All three organisations have done much to raise the profile of reusable nappies, including Real Nappy Week which takes place in April each year. A full list of nappy laundry services is available at www.wen.org.uk

Chiltern District Council
Ismina Lane, E-mail: Ilane@chiltern.gov.uk

Nappy Tales
www.nappytales.freeserve.co.uk
E-mail: gina@nappytales.freeserve.co.uk

National Association of Nappy Services (NANS)
Tel: 0121 693 4949

Real Nappy Association
www.realnappy.com

Women's Environmental Network (WEN)
www.wen.org.uk
E-mail: wenuk@gn.apc.org

OIL: The Oil Care Campaign


Summary

The Oil Care Campaign (OCC) is a national pollution prevention initiative, and is a good example of a partnership approach to HHW. A key target audience of the OCC is the 'DIY motorist' - people who service their own motor vehicle. The campaign aims to improve the oil recycling infrastructure in the UK and to encourage the general public to take their waste engine oil to oil recycling banks (ORBs). Used oil is the only waste type for which there is a national telephone line which informs the public of their nearest recycling facility.

Why?

Typical 'DIY motorists' are 'Sunday mechanics' whose cars are over five years old. Older cars are less likely to be serviced regularly by garages, and DIY motorists will carry out their own oil changes. DIY motorists may not necessarily dispose of their waste oil in an appropriate manner and may pour oil into a drain. This can often be due to ignorance of the impact of oil on the environment, or because they are unaware of an alternative disposal route. The environmental impact of such actions is serious. The quantity of oil from an average oil change is enough to form a film over a four-acre lake. The DIY motoring sector is believed to be an important source of oil pollution and is therefore targeted by the Oil Care Campaign.

How does it work?

The Oil Care Campaign is a national pollution prevention initiative which is based on a network of local ORBs. It was established by the Environment Agency in 1995 and its supporters include the NHHWF Used Oil Working Group Members. Landfill tax funding through Hanson Environment Fund has enabled the recruitment of a full time Oil Care Campaigner in England and Wales to work alongside a counterpart in Scotland.

Key to the OCC is the Oil Care Code. For the DIY motorist, the Oil Care Code advises the following.

  • Don't pour used oil down the drain.
  • Take it to an oil bank. Call 0800 663366 to find the location of the nearest oil bank.
  • Don't mix used oil with other materials such as solvents and paint.

The NHHWF Oil Working Group Members are: British Lubricants Federation, Shell, UKPIA, BP, J Sainsbury, Oil Recycling Association, Environment Agency, Castrol UK Ltd, Orcol Fuels Ltd, OSS Group Ltd, NHHWF, Halfords, the Scottish Oil Care Campaign and local authority partners.

The OCC aims to encourage oil recycling by the DIY motorist in two main ways:

1. Improving the infrastructure for the collection of used oil from the public

ORBs are containers for the storage of used lubricating oil for collection by oil recyclers. ORBs are often sited at civic amenity sites, staffed recycling sites, garage repair workshops and retail sites (including petrol station forecourts and supermarket car parks). They allow the public to dispose of their oil, which is then sent for recycling. The most common use of used oil is as a fuel in industrial processes such as smelting, stone drying, brick works, coking plants and steam-generating plants. In addition, around 2.5% of all used oil is re-refined.

There are around 1500 ORBs in the UK. The NHHWF wish to improve public access to ORBs. In 1999, a mapping exercise was carried out by the NHHWF Used Oil Working Group to highlight areas of the UK where ORB coverage was inadequate. The OCC aims to site ORBs in these areas and is providing partnership sponsorship to site new ORBs.

A Management Guidance note on the siting and development of ORBs was published by the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and NHHWF in 1998. It is designed to give clear advice to anyone involved in the sponsorship, set up, management and promotion of ORBs. It is available free of charge (see further information below).

2. Raising awareness of the ORB network

The second lynch pin of the campaign is ensuring that people are aware of the ORB network. The OCC is unique in recycling - it provides an oil bank telephone line to inform the public of their nearest ORB. The number is freephone 0800 663366. Operators can locate the enquirer's nearest ORB using postcode information. They are also able to provide additional information such as opening hours for the sites and alternative ORBs which may, for example, be on the enquirer's route to work. The telephone line has handled nearly 10,000 enquiries to date.

The Oil Care Campaign is working with a variety of partners in to help promote the Oil Bank Line and the Oil Care Code. Including working with lubricating fluids manufacturers to position the Oil Bank Line number on the packaging of lubricating products. In addition, the number is printed on Halfords oil filters, in Haines manuals and many independent leaflets.

Further information

Oil Bank Line: 0800 663366, www.oilbankline.org.uk

The Environment Agency
Oil Care Campaign
King Meadow House
Kings Road
Reading
Berks
RG1 8DQ
Tel: 0118 953 5413
E-mail: sue.kinsey@environment-agency.gov.uk
Website: www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Copies of the ORB Management Guidance note are available free by faxing 0118 953 5419.

Scottish Environmental Protection Agency www.sepa.org.uk

Paint: Community RePaint


What is Community RePaint?

Community RePaint is a practical and innovative approach to one of the most common types of HHW - paint. The UK wide network is made up of 65 community-based organisations collecting unwanted, reusable domestic paint from household waste recycling centres, retailers, decorators and the paint trade. This is then passed on to the community and voluntary sector and individuals/families in need.

The UK network is managed by Resource Futures, a not-for-profit environmental consultancy, who offer best practice advice to existing and developing projects, responds to proposed legislation, submits funding bids and develops links with the voluntary and community sector and the trade and retail industry.

Community RePaint has been sponsored by Dulux since its inception in 1993 and forms part of the ongoing sustainability programme of Dulux.

Waste paint: how big is the problem?

About 400 million litres of paint are sold in the UK each year. It is estimated that 56 million litres are left unused, stored in homes or garages or simply thrown away. That’s enough to fill over 22 Olympic-sized swimming pools!
Leftover paint donated to Community RePaint will not only help protect the environment by keeping paint out of landfill but also benefit local community projects and individuals.

In 2007 the Community RePaint network:

• collected 450,000 litres of paint from householders, businesses, manufacturers and retailers (which otherwise would of ended up in landfill)
• with a market value of over £1.75 million
• redistributed over 250,000 litres of paint to community groups, charities, voluntary organisations and those in social need.

Do you have paint to donate?

If you are a householder, retailer, painter or decorator or local company, and have reusable surplus paint, why not donate it to Community RePaint?

You can do this by either contacting your local Community RePaint project directly (please see our website www.communityrepaint.org.uk for more information) or by contacting Resource Futures.
Community RePaint projects can only accept domestic paint which is reusable and non-hazardous (please see the table below for a list of acceptable materials):

Acceptable and unacceptable materials

ACCEPTABLE MATERIALS UNACCEPTABLE MATERIALS
Emulsion Paint stripper and thinners
Gloss and tile paint Paintbrush cleaners
Eggshell Wood preservatives and treatments
Undercoat Car paint
Primer Aerosol and spray paint
Masonry and floor paint Specialist and industrial paints
Exterior paint Paint not in its original container
 Varnishes and woodstains Cellulose-based paints
Satin paint Unusable paint


Do you need paint?

If you think your community group, charity, voluntary organisation or local project could use paint for an art or redecoration project, please contact your local project. Individuals and families who would like to redecorate their home can also apply for paint.

Community centres, playgrounds and gardens, village halls, schools and amateur sports clubs have all benefited from Community RePaint.

Log onto the website to find your nearest project and click on ’Do you need paint?’ page, or alternatively contact Resource Futures.
 
Set up a Community RePaint project

If you are a community group, charity or local authority and would like to establish a new Community RePaint project in your area – or if you are a group already collecting leftover paint – and would like to become part of the national network then please contact Resource Futures or visit our website for more information.

Further information
For more information on all aspects of the Community RePaint project please visit our website www.communityrepaint.org.uk or contact us directly on:

Clair Lloyd
Community RePaint Project Manager 
Resource Futures
1st Floor, Royal House
Sovereign Street
Leeds
LS1 4BJ
Tel: 07903 037 429
E-mail: clair.lloyd@resourcefutures.co.uk
Website: www.communityrepaint.org.uk

Regional Electronics Initiative


Summary

The Regional Electronics Initiative, Yorkshire and Humber (REI) links together a number of computer refurbishment centres across the region. All of the REI centres refurbish redundant IT equipment donated from businesses and other organisations. The centres offer training opportunities to individuals marginalised in the market. The primary objective of the REI centres is the provision of low cost, high quality IT equipment to community groups, educational establishments and low income households.

Why?

Approximately 357,000 tonnes of waste IT equipment is generated in the UK each year. This inefficient use of resources poses a significant environmental risk due to the hazardous nature of the waste. Under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, the management of the electronic and electronic waste will alter significantly. It is proposed that member states will be set mandatory collection targets of 6kg of household WEEE per capita/year.

The Yorkshire and Humber region has an unemployment rate of 7%, the sixth highest of all regions. Training opportunities are identified as a key mechanism to reduce unemployment.

Government policy on economic development aims to harness social progress, protection of the environment and the prudent use of natural resources.

Source: Regional Electronics Initiative Business Plan (2001) - Save Waste and Prosper Ltd.

How does it work?

There are currently eight REI centres in operation:

  • Airedale Computer Recycling - Castleford
  • Sava-Comp - Keighley
  • East Riding Training Services - Bridlington
  • Extended Life Computers (ELC) - Huddersfield and Halifax
  • Paces - Sheffield
  • Refurbit - Hull
  • Roseville Enterprises - Leeds
  • Second Byte - Scunthorpe and Immingham

The REI network is co-ordinated by Resource Futures, formerly SWAP. Donated IT equipment is collected and brought back to the REI centres. Every machine donated to the initiative is assessed as to whether it can be refurbished, if this is not feasible it is recycled. The equipment for recycling is dismantled and all components are recycled to environmental standards or disposed of in accordance with relevant waste regulations. Equipment to be refurbished is put through a refurbishment programme to meet quality and safety standards.

Seven of the centres provide training opportunities for unemployed people within the area. Refurbit provides NVQ training in areas such as IT Repair & Service, Distribution & Warehouse Operations and Performing Manufacturing Operations. Short courses are provided to gain certificates fork lifting, health & safety and manual handling. Numeracy and literacy training is also provided. Roseville Enterprises provides support to people with learning disabilities.

All of the REI centres provide low-cost equipment to schools, voluntary organisations and community groups.

Achievements

In 2000-01 the network of REI centres:

  • received donations from over 380 organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber
  • diverted an estimated 800 tonnes of IT equipment for disposal
  • donated or sold 1,730 refurbished computer systems to 'good causes'
  • employed 91 people
  • provided formal workplace training for 192 trainees.

Further information

For more information on the Regional Electronics Initiative please visit www.regionalelectronicsinitiative.org.uk