On the 20 November 2009 the Environment Agency received from the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department information regarding a suspected illegal shipment of hazardous waste from the UK The container had been inspected and opened on landing and was found to contain items of waste electrical equipment including several hundred computer monitors. These are classed as hazardous waste due to the nature of some components.

Documents found within the container indicated that Sinoway had exported the waste from Cumbria Recycling Limited in Workington to Hong Kong in September 2009. Environment Agency officers contacted Sinoway and Sinoway arranged for the waste to be returned immediately to the UK.

When the container was returned to the UK in December 2009. Environment officers inspected the container and found a number of items of waste electrical items including cables, monitors, base units, components and wires. Officers found the contents to be poorly packed and some items were visibly damaged.

Cumbria Recycling Ltd operate by collecting WEEE from civic amenity sites in Cumbria. The WEEE is then brought to their site for refurbishment or repair. Any items of WEEE that are deemed beyond repair are sent for reprocessing.

Many of the items within the container were considered to be beyond repair by Cumbria Recycling Ltd, but instead of the waste being sent for reprocessing in the UK, it was sold to Sinoway. Cumbria Recycling Ltd stated that Sinoway were fully aware that the goods were hazardous waste.

Cumbria Recycling Ltd paid for the entire contents of the container to be sent for reprocessing at a suitable facility in the UK once it had been returned to Cumbria.

Cumbria Recycling Ltd accepted that they were involved in the illegal export, by selling the waste to Sinoway and loading the waste into the container.  After the container had been returned to their site, they paid for the waste to be reprocessed at a suitably permitted facility in the UK.  They received a formal caution from the Environment Agency due to their role in the illegal export .

Steve Johnston, Environment Officer for the Environment Agency said,

" Sinoway International Ltd exported a container of WEEE, including hazardous waste, destined for Hong Kong or China. Such an export of waste isn’t allowed under waste regulations. The Environment Agency will continue to take enforcement action against such offenders.

If the container had not been detained in Hong Kong and returned to the UK, there is a significant risk that the waste in the container would have been mishandled or tipped causing environmental harm. "

• Terry Maguire – Chairman & Managing Director, Computer Remarketing Services

• Julie-Ann Adams - Joint Managing Director, M Baker Recycling Ltd 

• Joy Boyce – Head of Corporate Environmental Affairs, Fujitsu Services 

• Phil Conran – General Manager Recycling Development, BIFFA Waste Services 

• Jonathan Gorman – Regulatory Policy Manager, Tesco Stores 

• Gary Griffiths – Environmental & Quality Systems Manager, RDC 

• John Holbrow – non-executive Chairman, Pollution Monitors Ltd 

• Leigh Holloway – Environmental Consultant, eco3 

• Kirstie McIntyre – Environmental Takeback Compliance Manager, Hewlett Packard 

• John Morrell – Environmental consultant, Oakdene Hollins 

• Philip Morton – Chief Executive Officer, REPIC 

• Mark Shelton – Waste Promotions Manager, Donarbon Waste Management

Under the new regulations introduced in the Summer only Authorised Treatment Facilities registered with the Environment Agency are permitted to manage the disposal of electronic equipment.

The new regulations are very complex and vary according to the type of equipment, when purchased and in the case of business whether being replaced on a "like for like" basis. In addition for business users the commercial terms agreed with the original supplier will also have a bearing.

If you need advice please call.

WE WENT AND SNIFFED around the premises of Milton Keynes' Computer Remarketing Services a while ago.

Impressed, we were, with the industrious little outfit of computer recyclers, cleaning up discarded, functional IT kit and passing it on.

We asked boss, Terry Maguire, to ship us a couple of PC systems to have a fiddle with. One running Windows XP and run running an implementation of Linux. He did. And we have duly fiddled. And mighty pleased with the merchandise we are too.

CRS sent us a Dell desktop Optiplex system, bragging a 2.8GHz Pentium 4 and running Windows XP Professional. We've also been running a similar HP Pentium 4 based system set up to dual boot to either Windows XP or Mandriva Linux.

The systems arrived impressively packaged up in much of their original cardboard. The PCs themselves are compact desktop systems, similarly sized. The Dell wins on looks while both already look decidedly retro. The HP wins on weight and feels like it's made of solid steel.

By Paul Hales: Wednesday 28 February 2007, 16:23

HOW MANY PERSONAL COMPUTERS have been built and sold so far? How many of them are still in use? How many have been dumped in landfill sites or exported and dumped in China?

No, we don't know either. Millions, that's for sure.

But with the realisation that the world's resources won't last for ever and that man over the past 100 years has pretty well trashed the globe he inhabits, even chip makers have begun flaunting their green credentials. Well, when it suits them.

And as manufacturers and sellers of electronic kit know, the regulators are after them and want them to clean up after themselves.

The UK government has finally published is guide to complying with the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The 80-page document has appeared in a pdf here. These obligations on "producers" of electronic goods will make startling reading for some companies. And, while there has been plenty of wrangling over the proposals, the onus on the producers of the kit to ensure it is cleaned up and disposed of properly is generally seen as a good thing by consumers.

More here http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/0124/boots.html