Stone opens WEEE plant

Public sector IT specialist Stone Group has unveiled its own £500,000 on-site recycling facility.

Located in Staffordshire, the facility is capable of reducing half a tonne of equipment an hour to pieces smaller than 30mm. The iron and precious metals are then extracted.

The plant received its Environment Agency permit in November, meaning the disposal of PCs and other IT equipment will be carried out in line with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.

James Bird, chief executive of Stone Group, said: “As a responsible ICT manufacturer and supplier, Stone has an obligation to its customers and the environment to ensure it is compliant with the WEEE legislation.

“Now we are the only IT supplier in the UK capable of offering a recycling service that we are totally in control of. That is really important in the public sector where the integrity of the suppliers is a major concern.”

The European Commission recently estimated that only a third of WEEE equipment is treated in accordance with WEEE legislation.

“Nobody wants second-hand equipment from schools and hospitals turning up in unexpected places, and we can give our customers the assurance that will not happen,” added Bird.

The plant was constructed in Germany and shipped to the UK on four vehicles, before being assembled in the recently acquired facility.