News
Thousands of old televisions and PCs 'screened out' from landfill
This feature was added on 28th March 2008
Hertfordshire residents are now recycling more materials than ever at the county's household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) – including old TVs, PCs and other electrical goods.
During the second half of 2007, Hertfordshire residents took more than 3,000 tonnes of electrical items ranging from toasters to tumble dryers to their local HWRCs. Among them were nearly 14,000 fridges and freezers and 40,000 televisions and PC monitors.
This follows the introduction of the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Regulations in July 2007, which requires all electrical items taken to HWRCs to be sent for recycling.
By weight, electrical appliances make up a large proportion of household waste, which means that the recycling of unwanted electrical goods alone means a big reduction in waste going to landfill sites.
'We've seen a steady increase in both the amount and the range of waste materials that are now recycled in Hertfordshire, and it's a welcome move that household electrical items are now covered by a change in the law,' said Executive Member for Planning, External Relations and Waste, County Councillor Derrick Ashley. 'This saves thousands of tonnes of useable materials from being dumped in landfill sites, which is kinder to the environment and to the taxpayer.'
Old TVs or monitors are collected from the HWRCs and taken to a special recycling plant, where the different materials are reprocessed, and the hazardous components safely removed. The glass screen, metal wiring and the plastic frames are separated and recycled to make new products.
Fridges and freezers are collected in the same way. The hazardous ozone-depleting gases are safely removed before the plastic or metal body and any glass shelving can be separated and recycled.
All other electrical appliances, from games consoles to vacuum cleaners, are managed along similar lines: the metal, plastic and glass parts are recycled, while any hazardous components are safely removed.
For more information about the recycling of different electrical items at the HWRCs, search our A-Z.