Recycling makes sense Print

By John Haines, J & G Environmental Ltd.

An inevitable consequence of the print production process is that millions of tons of waste have to be disposed of every year. In the not too distant past much of this waste disappeared into hard-pressed landfill sites with the result that huge volumes of re-useable by-products, many of them hazardous, were discarded with possible adverse effects on the environment.

In recent years the amount of waste being disposed of correctly has increased as treatment methods have improved. This has mainly been brought about by increasingly tough legislation introduced by the environmental and health and safety legislators in Brussels and Westminster, although a much greater level of voluntary green thinking has also helped ensure the positive trend has continued.

There isn't a do nothing option any longer.

And there is no doubt the best way forward to help printers meet both their legislative requirements and help save the environment at the same time is to recycle as much waste as possible.

With the regulations applying equally to the large printer and the local print shop it means that all printers need to comply with the myriad of regulations covering the industry including the Environmental Protection Act, Hazardous Waste Regulations, WEEE regulations, Water Resources Act, Water Industry Act and the Health and Safety at Work Act.

As the industry is all too aware changes in legislation are happening all the time - battery regulations are scheduled to be introduced in 2010 - and it is our experience that printers sometimes struggle to keep up with the need for compliance.

But the penalties for not complying are potentially onerous.

The Environment Agency has made it clear on many occasions that ignorance of the regulations will be no defence if an offence is committed and it will not be "just regulating the good guys."

The agency's enforcement priorities include illegal tipping; hazardous waste being disposed of at an unlicensed site or being misdescribed, or mixed with non-hazardous material, and for failing to comply with movement and recording requirements.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the Environment Agency has access to your suppliers' delivery records so it will not be possible to 'hide' the true amount of waste being generated.

 

A six point plan

Following a simple six point plan can help companies ensure compliance:

  • Check whether waste is hazardous.
  • Determine waste criteria/don't mix waste streams
  • Know where waste is going.
  • Explore options to reduce the amount of hazardous waste produced.
  • Budget for rising costs for treatment and disposal.
  • Keep up to date with legislative changes.

 

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:-

Empty ink drums Aerosols
Used solvent and other liquid chemical waste Negative film
Metals Contaminated wipes
Aluminium litho plates Machine oil
Fluorescent light tubes Adhesives
CDs Steel containers
Press blankets Aluminium drinks cans
Wooden pallets Cardboard
Assorted plastic waste Electronic and IT equipment
Batteries Contaminated dry waste
Toner powders

Where it finishes up

plastic chippingsAluminium 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.

wide recycled products
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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