Joint Irish fridge and freezer recycling scheme

Before the implementation, summer 2005, of the EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE Directive), Northern Ireland's and Ireland's Environment departments are working together on a scheme to collect, treat and recycle domestic fridges and freezers. Together, they have developed a contract for the management of this problematic waste in an environmentally sound and cost-effective manner. This initiative was developed within the scope of European Regulation 2037.2000 on Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), which requires the removal of all ODS from fridges and freezers before their safe disposal. The contract, awarded to M. Baker Recycling, will only run until summer 2005, date at which the WEEE Directive transfers the liability to the producer. The service provided by M. Baker Recycling is extremely interesting. Not only does the company collect and treat the waste (removing all ozone-depleting substances), it also provides interesting insight on possible systems for future implementation of the WEEE Directive, as innovative services, such as a tagging system allowing secure invoicing and audit trails, have been set up.