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TV graveyard for the South East

by Katie Lamborn

Kent's TV owners are discarding their sets in their droves,
according to a Sittingbourne recycling firm.

It comes after the owner of Currys and PC World
reported that a PC or TV was sold every two seconds over
Christmas - with like-for-like sales up by eight per
cent.

Now Sweeep, an electronics recycling company in Sittingbourne, claims it has seen the effect of this.

It said the number of old TVs being dumped has gone up by a
third since Christmas.

Justin Greenaway, contracts manager at the plant,
said it had been getting in 4,000 sets a
day.

He said: "We've had to put on an extra shift, so we're working
24 hours a day."

"Everyone wants a new, shiny flat panel screen. I mean
it's understandable everyone wants to keep up with the Jones's! The
old fashioned glass televisions are big and bulky."

The plant recycles all electronics, from washing machines to
electric toothbrushes.

"Anything electrical can be recycled," says Mr
Greenaway.

"Inside the electronics there are some really good raw
materials, which are a real sin to be throwing into the
bin. Here, we can recycle using renewable energy."

A lot of the broken products at Sweeep get turned back into
electronics because of the quality of raw materials in
them.

"There are materials like platinum, gold and copper and
these really are diminishing earth resources."

At the moment we have to go to local council dump to
get rid of broken electricals, but soon it will be even
easier.

A new scheme, starting in Medway, will see containers
outside supermarkets - where people can leave smaller electricals
like kettles and toasters.

According to Sweeep, only 14 per cent of smaller items
are being recycled.

For more information about recycling and to find your nearest dump go to www.recyclenow.co.uk