FREE Lamp Recycling Service

The UK currently produces around 1 million tonnes of waste electrical equipment (WEEE) each year, and current research suggests that this figure may double over the next 15 years.

WEEE is one of the fastest growing waste streams, currently growing at three times the rate of average municipal waste.

On 1st July 2007, the WEEE Regulations came into force in the UK. The aim of the new law is to minimise the impact of electrical and electronic goods on the environment by increasing re-use and encouraging recycling to help reduce the amount of WEEE going to landfill.

The WEEE Regulations apply to electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) which falls within the 10 product categories listed in the WEEE Directive:

  1. Large household appliances
  2. Small household appliances
  3. IT & Telecommunications equipment
  4. Consumer equipment
  5. Lighting equipment
  6. Electrical and electronic tools
  7. Toys, leisure and sports equipment
  8. Medical devices
  9. Monitoring and control instruments
  10. Automatic dispensers

The regulations that apply to lamps and tubes aim to ensure the environmentally-sound treatment of all gas discharge lamps when they come to the end of their useful working life.

Lamps covered by the regulations are marked on their packaging with a crossed out ‘wheelie bin’ symbol to denote that they must be disposed of in an environmentally-safe manner as they are classed as Hazardous Waste.

It is important to note that filament lamps such as incandescent GLS and tungsten halogen lamps are not covered by the regulations and are not part of the recycling scheme.

Lamps effected by the new regulations are:

  • Straight Fluorescent tubes
  • Compact Fluorescent lamps
  • High Intensity Discharge lamps
  • High Pressure Sodium (SON) lamps, Metal Halide lamps
  • Low Pressure Sodium (SOX) lamps

Your Simple and Safe Solution to Recycling

Not only is the incorrect disposal of qualifying lamps and tubes now a contravention of the new WEEE Regulations, illegally-dumped waste is a major environmental issue, causing distress to communities and landowners throughout the UK which in turn costs millions of pounds to deal with and ultimately pollutes our environment.

As a responsible seller of products covered by the new regulations, Electric Center has partnered with RECOLIGHT to provide you with an easy access solution to ensuring all lamps covered by this legislation are properly disposed of and recycled.

If you purchase, install and replace lamps, this service is available to you FREE OF CHARGE.

Qualifying ‘end of life’ lamps can be returned to any branch of Electric Center throughout the UK in any quantities for disposal. A collection service can also be arranged for larger quantities of lamps if required.

All lamps returned to Electric Center are sorted, re-cycled and re-used in line with the WEEE regulations.

Remember, there is no charge for our Lamp Recycling Service – all we ask is that you buy your replacement lamps from us.