E.ON and Recycling Lives find a future for redundant meters

Jan. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- E.ON and Recycling Lives find a future for redundant meters
 
Energy company E.ON has joined leading commercial recycler and social welfare charity Recycling Lives to reuse or recycle up to 1.5 million old gas and electricity meters.

The contract, which initially runs for two years, will see Recycling Lives sorting old gas and electricity meters that will be removed from homes when they reach the end of their lives or are replaced by newer versions.

Any meters which cannot be reused are transferred to Recycling Lives’ state-of-the-art recycling centre in Preston, Lancs. They are sorted, stripped down, their batteries removed for recycling and the remaining recyclable materials such as metal and plastics shredded for resale and reuse.

Chris Lovatt, Supply Chain Director at E.ON, said: “It’s clear that we need to think seriously about how we dispose of old meters, especially as more than 26 million electricity meters are due to be replaced over the next decade as Smart Meters are rolled out across the UK.

“Dumping them in landfill or sending them to the Far East – as could have happened in the past – is simply not an option. One of our key objectives at E.ON is to deliver a cleaner and better, more sustainable supply chain.
“By working with Recycling Lives we’re not only finding other uses for the various metals and plastics, we’re helping to support a charity that’s making a real difference to people’s lives. This is a real example of a win-win scenario for E.ON, the communities we serve and the environment.”

Alongside its environmental and waste management work, Recycling Lives runs its own charity providing accommodation, training, work experience and, often, full-time employment to vulnerable and marginalised people.

The contract with E.ON will see Recycling Lives Residents placed on tailored training courses alongside E.ON staff, enabling them to identify the meters which can be reused and dismantle those which can’t into their component parts, ready for recycling.

Michael Crowe, Finance Director at Recycling Lives, said: "The fantastic achievement of winning this contract is a true testament to how the collective strengths of all departments within Recycling Lives can be brought together to deliver a superb service to a large multinational company that gives serious consideration to Corporate Social Responsibility.

“We’re really looking forward to working with E.ON. This new contract is a huge boost for us, and goes to show that we’re ready to take on big companies and big contracts.”

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Read more about Recycling Lives Ltd at http://www.RecyclingLives.com or for the Recycling Lives charity, http://www.RecyclingLives.org

Notes to editors:

•   E.ON is one of the UK's leading power and gas companies - generating and distributing electricity, and retailing power and gas - and is part of the E.ON group, one of the world's largest investor-owned power and gas companies. We employ around 15,000 people in the UK and more than 88,000 worldwide;
•   E.ON's retail business is a leading energy supplier in the UK with around 5.3 million electricity and gas customers, covering domestic, SME and industrial;
•   E.ON is one of the leading green generators in the UK, with 20 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland. We also burn biomass material mixed with coal in two of our power stations and have completed one of the UK's largest dedicated biomass power stations at Lockerbie. Combined, our renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to power the homes in a city the size of Manchester.

•   Participants in the Recycling Lives residential programme are known as ‘Residents’

For more information, images or interviews please contact:
Andrew Barrow or Jag Kahlon at E.ON on 02476 181 308
Victoria Bowness or Lorrie Hartshorn at Recycling Lives on 01772 665 930

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Recycling Lives is a commercial recycler and social welfare charity that strives to help marginalised members of the community through education, training and work experience.