Cwm Taf Local Health Board signs up for free recycling
Two hospitals from Cwm Taf Local Health Board – Royal Glamorgan Hospital and Prince Charles Hospital – have partnered with Recolight to provide an efficient way of collecting and disposing of their waste lighting.
Known as ‘lamps’ in the industry, old fluorescent tubes and some other forms of commercial lighting fall under the WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) Regulations. In accordance with the law, they need to be recycled at end-of-life, as large quantities can be harmful to the environment if sent to landfill.Two specially designed containers have been set up at Royal Glamorgan hospital, and a further two containers at Prince Charles Hospital. All fluorescent tubes collected in these containers are sent for recycling at approved treatment facilities.
Steve Sims, estates stores manager for Cwm Taf Local Health Board, said, ‘Partnering with Recolight has enabled us to cut our costs, as we no longer have to pay for our recycling, nor use our staff time to crush lamps and bag them up. Using the service has allowed us to take in lamps from other hospitals in the area and in the last 12 months we have collected approximately 15,000 lamps between us.’
Nigel Harvey, Recolight CEO, said, ‘Recolight is committed to making it as simple as possible for any organisation to recycle, and we are pleased to be able to provide a cost effective solution to organisations in the public sector. As the two sites also accept lamps from other hospitals, the initiative is contributing to the whole area’s effort to reduce waste.’
