Another important consideration to be taken on board is that the amount that has to be paid to the Environment Agency will be determined by how frequently collections are made.

So having a waste disposal system that is not just compliant, but is also sorted and stored so as to reduce the number of collections required is of major importance if the industry is to keep costs at acceptable levels.
It may come as a surprise to some readers that there's almost no printing industry by-product that cannot be recycled or re-used in some way and there is no doubt that using a fully recognised and registered waste disposal and recycling provider can help reduce costs and increase income.
But, despite the fact that so much of its waste can be usefully reused, this industry still lags behind other industries for the amount of material recycled.

We estimate that up to 90 percent of waste generated by printers can eventually be recycled as new processing technology and equipment comes on stream. These include:-

Where it finishes up

Aluminium plates are melted down and reused.

Solvents and oils that cannot be recovered are used as low grade fuel.

Plastic is shredded and washed and reused in building materials such as drainpipes, while plastic barrels are reformed as animal feed and water troughs.

Ink cans are crushed and returned to the manufacturing industry as raw material.

Polythene bale wrappers and plastic strapping as well as cardboard are now being collected and recycled.

Recycling is also the preferred option in the lower-volume areas. For example :

• CDs are transformed into artificial wood, lighting cases and alarm boxes.
• Silver is reclaimed from photographic fixer, turned into ingots and sold to the commodities markets.
• Wooden pallets are shredded and reused in chipboard manufacture.
• Fluorescent light tubes are processed so that all components, even the hazardous mercury content, are recovered and recycled for industrial use.
• Aluminium drinks cans are crushed, baled and reused in new drinks containers.

These are just some of the uses to which recycled printers' waste is put.

The challenges of complying with the raft of legislation are many and printers cannot afford to make light of the need to comply. No doubt there are more compliance headaches just over the horizon.

The industry still has a way to go before it can really be considered environmentally friendly but, fortunately, there are an increasing number of printers going down the right path.

Now is the time for printers to look carefully at their waste disposal operation, particularly in regard to recycling. Future generations will be the ones to suffer most if waste disposal is not taken seriously.

John Haines is general manager of print waste collection and recycling services specialist J & G Environmental.

Contact:

J & G Environmental Ltd.

Tel: 01258 453445
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