weee waste collections are on the rise thanks to biffa

Waste and recycling company Biffa have been running an additional WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) collections service alongside their normal collections routine.

The collections service has been adopted by five local authorities and focuses on collecting small domestic WEEE during normal service, which can be placed in a carrier bag alongside resident’s regular rubbish and recyclable waste.

The five authorities include Woking, Surrey Heath and Swale borough councils, who all won one-off grants from and electrical retailer back-fund, and Stafford Borough and Mole Valley District councils who adopted the service without the grants.

Since the collection launch in April of this year, Biffa have collected 50 tonnes of small domestic WEEE and batteries, creating a practical and cost efficient way of getting rid of unwanted electrical refuse.

Biffa place the WEEE filled carrier bags in under-body cages fitted to their collection vehicles and then send the contents off in bulk within dedicated containers it reporcessors located in either the north or south.

Pete Dickson, development director for Biffa’s municipal divisions told Waste Management World: ‘This diversion means no landfilling of WEEE that has potentially long environmentally-toxic life, and the recovery of high value components and materials for recycling, reuse and remanufacture.’

Skip hire can be used for disposing of WEEE, perfect for getting rid of large amounts of electrical items all in one go.