Press Release

Mon 14th Mar 2005
More Bright Ideas from Igrox

With pending legislation set to classify mercury bearing products, such as fluorescent tubes, as hazardous waste, Igrox has anticipated the consequences of this new legislation.The UK’s leading independent pest control company has implemented a comprehensive programme for collection and recycling of all types of spent lighting in accordance with current and pending legislation.

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is a European Directive that is being introduced to minimise the risks and impact to the environment, associated with the treatment and disposal of redundant electrical and electronic equipment.The WEEE directive was initially ratified by the European Union in October 2002 and its regulations were introduced into the UK in August 2004 with full legal implementation by August 2005.

 A single fluorescent tube contains enough mercury to pollute 30,000 litres of water and currently some 60 million tubes are sent for conventional unregulated landfill each year.

The Environment Agency is very concerned about the increasing pollutants contained in fluorescent tubes and sodium lamps and is now restricting the disposal of these contaminants to selected disposal sites.

 When the WEEE directive was ratified in 2002 about 250 waste sites requested to be registered for hazardous waste.Only 10-15 sites throughout the UK have been granted a licence.As a result in the short term it will be very difficult to landfill spent lighting.Redundant fluorescent tubes in particular are a disposal nightmare for offices and factories.

 The Igrox tube-recycling programme offers many advantages, not least by minimising health and safety risks and the impact on the environment. Additionally it will assist in ISO 14001 certification. Overall companies using a tube-recycling service will improve their site housekeeping, reduce landfill waste and demonstrate best environmental practice, while meeting all ‘duty of care’ and statutory requirements, in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Igrox operates a nationwide collection programme for small and large quantities of fluorescent tubes and bulbs.Igrox can supply Recycalite cartons and containers for the safe storage of spent lighting from large tubes to smaller sodium bulbs.Once the containers have been filled Igrox will arrange a convenient collection date.As a registered waste carrier Igrox will also sort out the legal requirement for a Waste Transfer Note.

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 For further information please contact Mark Low at Igrox Ltd on 01728 628424