Recycling electrical items you remove?

[HappyHippyDad]

I'm a little confused about what can get recycled with regards electrical items, especially downlights, but generally all item... outside lights, old sockets/switches etc etc.

Do you just put all the items in the electrical bins at the recycling centre? I get the feeling this is just for more usual household items like irons and toasters, so perhaps light fittings/sockets etc just end up in landfill, do they really strip these items down?

An outside light for example may be mainly metal rather than an electrical item, perhaps it goes in the metal bin?

The reason I ask it that I get the feeling that the chaps at the recycle centres don't really know.

Is there a better alternative with regards recycling all the used parts you remove?

 

[Andy5678]

I throw it all in the WEEE skip

surely it gets sorted out at the recycling plant.

 

[Vortigern]

I get it certificated through a pukka waste disposal agent and keep my WEEEE disposal certificates just in case! I used to think it was an onomatopoeia Weeeeee! as you through it in the bin. Though I speak of volumes like 200 tubes, 100 light fittings that kind of numbers so I can't take it to the tip being commercial waste.

 

[SJD]

I leave everything with the customer, it is up to them how they choose to dispose of them!

 

[Midwest]

I'm a little confused about what can get recycled with regards electrical items, especially downlights, but generally all item... outside lights, old sockets/switches etc etc.

Do you just put all the items in the electrical bins at the recycling centre? I get the feeling this is just for more usual household items like irons and toasters, so perhaps light fittings/sockets etc just end up in landfill, do they really strip these items down?

An outside light for example may be mainly metal rather than an electrical item, perhaps it goes in the metal bin?

The reason I ask it that I get the feeling that the chaps at the recycle centres don't really know.

Is there a better alternative with regards recycling all the used parts you remove?

You can't take your trade waste to the local council recycling centre. Or you shouldn't do, you naughty boy.

 

[telectrix]

You can't take your trade waste to the local council recycling centre. Or you shouldn't do, you naughty boy.

me: "just had my house rewired and the electrician left me all the old stuff".

waste centre op: " thats 4 times your house has been rewired this year".

 

[suffolkspark]

I leave everything with the customers, but do mention taking it to recycling centre if they're passing, if your making a specific journey the carbon footprint of trudging over there burning deisel probably outweighs the benifits. Anything I sort out at home like surplus mcbs I drop in to one when I pass in the car.

Just took a load of cable in to get weighed this week and pvc was 1.10 per kg, but I only save it if I have a run of larger jobs, rest of the time I leave that too

 

[happysteve]

I dispose of my trade waste in my (council-run) trade waste wheelie bin. The bloke who co-signed the Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note assured me that anything that can be recycled, is.

If you take your waste to the council tip, then you could argue that local tax-payers are effectively subsidising your business by paying for your waste to be disposed of/recycled by the council.

 

[suffolkspark]

I dispose of my trade waste in my (council-run) trade waste wheelie bin. The bloke who co-signed the Duty of Care Waste Transfer Note assured me that anything that can be recycled, is.

If you take your waste to the council tip, then you could argue that local tax-payers are effectively subsidising your business by paying for your waste to be disposed of/recycled by the council.

I am also a tax payer and the VERY small amount I take is mixed with whatever domestic stuff I have, I'd rather that than it go to land fill, we bury a disgusting amount of stuff as a race, my usual visit is to recycle my tassimo coffee pods which have to be taken there to recycle

 

[happysteve]

I am also a tax payer and the VERY small amount I take is mixed with whatever domestic stuff I have, I'd rather that than it go to land fill, we bury a disgusting amount of stuff as a race, my usual visit is to recycle my tassimo coffee pods which have to be taken there to recycle

To be honest, when I phoned the council to set up trade waste collection, the bloke who runs it asked what my business was (sole trader electrcian) and said, "I'm surprised you want to bother, most people just put it in their black wheelie bin or take larger items to the tip. But we can set it up if you really want to..."

 

[Dustydazzler]

Everything goes in either the customers black wheelie bin or back of the van to be reused

 

[Midwest]

And of course, if you are transporting waste, you'll have the appropriate waste license

 

[telectrix]

And of course, if you are transporting waste, you'll have the appropriate waste license

blacked out windows. move it after dark. dump it by the pikeys site. they sort out what can be scrap. the remainder makes no difference to their site anyway.

 

[Midwest]

blacked out windows. move it after dark. dump it by the pikeys site. they sort out what can be scrap. the remainder makes no difference to their site anyway.

Bit like this you mean

 

[Timbo]

And of course, if you are transporting waste, you'll have the appropriate waste license

It's not waste until you dump it at the end of the journey.?

 

[Midwest]

It's not waste until you dump it at the end of the journey.?

Incorrect. Do some research.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Unless it's 6mm and up I don't really botherstripping cables... Haven't the patience for it.
I weighed some in recently can't recall the prices but got £87 for a couple bags for life filled with random pvc cables. Had lots of swa off cuts and a car battery.
I got around 20kg of cable I will strip though, mainly tails, big swa cores, large t and e etc..
In terms of waste I am currently lucky we have communal bin stores on my development beneath all the apartment buildings 12 of them in total with huge euro bins in each, I make good use of them.
I am moving from a city centre apartment to a 3 bed semi next weekend which will make me have to think about waste more.

 

[telectrix]

3 bed semi will have a garden. DIY landfill.

 

[mattg4321]

I put it in the skip on the job for recycling by the waste company who supplied the skip.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Number of options for me.
commercial / industrial - i use their facilities, generally a metal skip and a general skip, however i always separate the fluorescent tubes and HQIs as i like to take them back to wholesaler who dispose of them with a specialist (yes i have a Upper Tier license)

Very often a "scrap man" turns up with a pick up and takes away the metal , i only hope it eventually gets recycled, usually commercial sites where the skip is easily accessible.

Domestic, same for tubes but use their bins for cardboard and old light fittings.

very occasionally where the amount of waste would overload a site, i take my trailer and cart the lot to a recycler where often i get money, which pays for the cost of removal.