In this issue:

Introduction
Welcome to the sixth edition of the Recolight e-newsletter and our final... [VIEW MORE]

Highlights of the year - Peter Lees
This has been a momentous year for Recolight, following the implementation of the WEEE Regulations... [VIEW MORE]

Meet the team - Alex Hawkins
Alex Hawkins is Recolight’s Operations Manager, joining Recolight in 2005 as the first full time member... [VIEW MORE]

Know your regulations
NetRegs has recently updated its guidance on duty of care regarding the handling of waste and it is worth having... [VIEW MORE]

Ask Recolight
Throughout the year we have used this column to provide answers to some of the questions you have raised regarding... [VIEW MORE]

This months collection point - Bradstone Lighting Ltd
Bradstone Lighting Ltd is based in Glasgow, and has been providing.... [VIEW MORE]

Eddie Taylor

In this month’s e-newsletter we will be looking back at our achievements over the past year. We have made good progress over the last twelve months, including registering our one thousandth collection point, and we will be reflecting on this and other successes as we get ready to start another successful year.

In our regular 'Meet the Team’ feature we will be introducing you to Alex Hawkins. Alex is our Operations Manager and he will be talking about how Recolight’s operations team can help you provide added value services to your customers. Our "know your regulations" feature this month deals with "duty of care" requirements.

As always we are featuring a different member’s CCP in the newsletter and this month you can read about Bradstone Lighting Ltd. Please let us know if you would like your collection point to be featured in a future e-newsletter. From 2009 collection points will also be featured on the new collection point page on our website.

We’re always keen to learn about your experiences and views on the issues important to you, so do email us through our 'Soapbox’ feedback function if there is something you would like to see covered in the next edition.

Eddie Taylor, Chief Executive, Recolight

Peter Lees

We will go forward with 54 producer members in 2009 representing most major participants in the UK lamps market including manufacturers, private brand owners and importers. Our members are based throughout the UK and range from large PLCs through to sole trader entrepreneurs. Between them, we estimate they represent approximately 85 per cent of the lamps put on the market.

This year we have seen our collection network grow substantially, including registering our 1000th CCP and it continues to steadily increase each month that passes. We have also experienced an increasing number of requests from users for "one-off" as required collections where quantities are sufficient to make the collection viable and as awareness of this service grows we expect to see an increasing number of requests for it.

We have invested in marketing communications, to promote the importance of recycling end-of-life lamps, to professional users, distributors and contractors involved in lighting maintenance. Awareness is now strong in business communities and is growing stronger. In the household consumer market, where this awareness is much lower, we have been actively lobbying government to implement awareness programmes and have proactively worked with stakeholder groups to discuss viable methods for achieving consumer lamp collections. We expect to see a lot of activity on this in the new year as the government implements a consumer WEEE awareness campaign.

The year has been very busy and progress has been impressive, but next year is set to be even busier. In the next newsletter I will be setting out our plans for 2009. We will also bring you up to date on the impact of the latest amendments to the WEEE Regulations that have recently passed through the European parliament.

We are sending you a copy of our 2009 Wall planner in the Christmas mail, so please look out for it!

Alex Hawkins is Recolight’s Operations Manager, joining Recolight in 2005 as the first full time member of the team and since then has been providing indispensable ongoing support to develop Recolight’s network of commercial collection points across the country and setting up supply arrangements with our recycling service providers.

Prior to joining Recolight, Alex worked in the electrical wholesale industry for nine years holding a variety of sales, procurement and project roles. He has brought valuable experience to the Recolight team and has played a crucial role in helping Recolight grow the RecoNet network to over 1000 collection points. He says: "It’s been great to see how much we have grown the collection network over the last year, and it’s been useful to be able to demonstrate the benefits wholesalers and retailers can get from providing a collection point for their customers.

"As we can see from the case study of Bradstone Lighting, companies are able to offer their customers added value and in some cases can provide their customers’ customers with added value too. By providing a facility for collecting lamps the open collection points in the network are able to provide additional services to their customers, increasing the value they add and ensuring they get repeat business"

Throughout the year we have used this column to provide answers to some of the questions you have raised regarding the WEEE Regulations. This has helped us to develop the new FAQ section on our website which went live this month. We are always more than happy to take on board any suggestions you have, and would welcome any comments on this new section. Please do let us know if there are any questions you have which aren’t covered by our new FAQ section. The questions are here and the full FAQ section can be viewed online at www.recolight.co.uk/go/faq

About the legislation
1. What are the WEEE Regulations?
2. Who do the WEEE Regulations affect?
3. Which lamps are covered by the WEEE Regulations?
4. Who is responsible for enforcing the WEEE Regulations?

About Recolight
1. What is Recolight?
2. How does Recolight’s compliance scheme work?
3. How can I join Recolight’s compliance scheme?
4. What is RecoNet?
5. How can I join RecoNet?

Information for producers
1. What is a producer’s obligation under the WEEE Regulations?
2. How do I join Recolight’s compliance scheme?
3. What is the cost of registering with Recolight?
4. What admin and reporting will I need to do?

Information for distributors
1. What are a distributor’s responsibilities under the WEEE Regulations?
2. What is the distributor take-back scheme?
3. What do I need to do to become a Recolight collection point?
4. What other services can Recolight offer?

Information for businesses regarding lamp recycling
1. Why should we recycle lamps?
2. How can I recycle end of life lamps?
3. How much will it cost to recycle lamps?
4. How can I find my nearest collection point?
5. What other services can Recolight provide?
6. What should I do with broken lamps?

Aware of the environmental issues involved with recycling waste lamps the company’s Managing Director Ron Wilson is keen to stress that being part of the Recolight family is very important to Bradstone; "Environmental issues are very important and being a collection point benefits our customers greatly. As we have a very busy trade counter, our customers really appreciate the one stop approach we have."

"It's a case of users bringing lamps to be deposited for recycling at the same time as they are visiting us to purchase new lamps and equipment - a very efficient process."

The company’s impressive premises are located in close proximity to Scotland’s major motorway network, allowing them to supply to customers nationwide. This convenient location gives Bradstone’s customers easy access to the registered collection point allowing them to dispose of their waste lamps simply and efficiently.

As well as being a registered collection point, Bradstone also provides customers who are unable to reach its premises with a free collection service. With Bradstone supplying to customers nationwide this collection service ensures that all of the lamps they supply are recycled correctly.