The Big De-Tox

Hazardous waste may sound like nasty stuff produced by industry, but actually that old television – the one you threw out a few weeks ago- is soon going to be a big part of the problem. We look for a little lead in your living room and cadmium in your kitchen…

Fluorescent light tubes
Nasty bit
They contain toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury and lead.

Why nasty?
These can be harmful if they come into contact with skin or are ingested or inhaled.

Bid problem
We get through 100 million tubes every year in the UK. This means 3 tonnes of mercury disposed of in UK landfill sites.

And what can be done?
Its possible to recycle 99% of the mercury – this can be sold back to industry, as can the waste glass.

Oil
Nasty bit
All of it.

Why nasty?
It is a dangerous pollutant, especially in rivers, lakes and the sea.

Big problem
We produce about a million tonnes in a year. One litre in an Olympic – sized swimming pool’s worth of drinking water would make it undrinkable.

And what can be done?
Recycle it – there’s a network of 1,000 recycling banks in the UK. Less than a third of the waste oil produced by DIY motorists actually is, through. If all of it was recycled and the energy was harnessed, it would power the whole of Kent.

TVs and computer monitors
Nasty bit
Cathode ray tubes, which contain barium strontium glass, leaded glass and a mixture of phosphors.

Why nasty?
These can react with the acidic liquids found in landfill sites and cause heavy metals to leach into the ground, polluting water.

Big problem?
Pretty big. In 2002 we produced 95,000 tonnes of glass from these tubes.

And what can be done?
TVs and monitors can be re-used. About half of monitors from businesses re-used. Half a million TVs are shipped out of the UK for re-use, mainly the developing world.

Fridges
Nasty bit
Insulation and coolants

Why nasty?
They contain CFCs and HFCs both are greenhouse gasses.

Big problem?
We chuck about 2.5 million of them out every year.

And what can be done?
EU laws banned use of CFCs in fridges and freezers, and they now have to be carefully removed to stop them escaping into the atmosphere. But if there’s not much wrong with your fridge, find a local group (e.g. Furniture Re-use Network) that collects them.

Paint
Nasty bit
Volatile organic compounds.

Why nasty?
They can produce ground level ozone, which can be harmful.

And what can be done?
Take for recycling or donate large amounts to Community Re-paint, a network for re use.

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