Luminaire recycling specialist Lumicom and lighting maintenance company David Webster Ltd (DW), in conjunction with waste management specialist Sims Group, have initiated pilot trials to explore ways of improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of recycling waste street lighting lanterns.
DW replaces approximately 10,000 street lanterns each year and wishes to ensure the end-of-life lanterns are sent for recycling using an accredited waste management infrastructure. As a client of the not-for-profit Lumicom scheme, the company is able to avail itself of the facilities offered by Lumicom.
A key element of the pilot trials has been to eliminate the double handling of waste lanterns by using the same containers for storage that new lanterns are supplied in, thus recycling packaging as well as lanterns. Once loaded into the wooden stillages the lanterns are stored at DW depots awaiting collection by Sims Group.
Another issue that has been addressed is the need to reduce the amount of transportation, thus minimising the carbon footprint of the entire operation. Therefore where appropriate, DW has grouped lanterns from smaller depots so that Sims is only transporting full lorry loads.
“Fine tuning the storage and collection processes has involved very close liaison between the three organisations, assessing each detail and looking for ways to introduce improvements,” explained Lumicom Director Ernest Magog.
Simon Hayman of DW added: “The early results of the field trials are very promising and are already saving a considerable amount of time, as well as optimising storage and transportation. If these trials continue to be successful we will be rolling the same arrangements out across all of our depots”.