Data released by the Environment Agency (EA) has shown that the 2017 lamp recycling rate was 48.5% – up from 47.5% in 2015, while the luminaire rate also increased from 7.1% to 7.5%.
This further increase, although described as “modest”, has been welcomed by Recolight – the UK-based WEEE compliance scheme for the lighting industry.
Commenting on the news, Nigel Harvey, Recolight CEO explained: “We are pleased that the lamp recycling rate in 2017 has continued to grow. The long term trend continues to be positive. In 2012, the rate was 39.5%, so a rate of 48.5% five years later is pleasing. Recolight continue to make our free lamp collection service available, and that stimulates and encourages more recycling.”
He added “The tonnage of LED lamps collected still remains low – at around 1%. This can be expected to grow in future years, but it will still be more than a decade before LED tonnages are close to the tonnages of fluorescent lamp waste.”
Turning to the luminaire recycling rate, he added “The luminaire recycling rate has moved up from 7.1% in 2016 to 7.5% in 2017. An increasing number of Recolight members now request free waste lamp and luminaire collections during multi-site LED luminaire rollouts. Recolight collects the waste lamps, traditional fittings, and batteries that arise.”
The luminaire recycling rate is inevitably lower than that for lamps as many are collected along with scrap metal.