May 25th 2022 – Electric Vehicles, Las Vegas Waste Expo and Waste in the News

MAY 25, 2022

Keeping you up to date with all things waste

Electric Vehicles – Getting Greener 

Here at Flame UK, we’ve recently switched our cars to electric vehicles (EVs) in our journey to become as sustainable as possible.   

A green option? 

EVs are a greener option for most, which of course depends on the source of the electricity,  but did you know that almost half of British drivers would not consider an EV within the next ten years?  Concerns about battery range, time taken to recharge and charging point availability are all factors that put people off swapping to an electric vehicle.  

EV battery recycling

Another issue we’ve been exploring is the ability for EV batteries to be recycled at the end of their life.   Whilst most standard batteries can be recycled at household recycling sites or collected alongside your business waste, the lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries used in EVs are difficult to recycle.   

Only 5% of Li-ion batteries are recycled currently – in fact, it’s cheaper to mine lithium than it is to recycle the batteries, because of the batteries’ structure and the labour-intensive methods of dismantling them.   But the environmental cost of mining lithium is huge – think massive energy use; toxic waste; habitat loss and high water useage.

EV batteries have around an 8 – 10 year lifespan, so it’s expected that researchers will find a better way of recycling them by the time most current EV batteries reach the end of their life.  

Read more about EV battery recycling here.

Meet the Experts

This week it’s our turn to meet the experts! Our Account Managers, George (left) and Ross (right), visited Waste Expo earlier this month and met plenty of experts from the waste industry.

Waste Expo is an international trade show for industry specialists to showcase new innovations, equipment and processes for making waste more efficient and environmentally friendly.  

Ross and George worked with our partners on the SmartTrash booth to spread the word about SmartTrash technology that Flame UK supplies within the UK.

Flame UK are always on the look-out for new innovations to support more sustainable waste practices for our clients. We caught up with Ross and George to find out about their trip and the exciting innovations in the waste industry that they saw  – including some cool new waste equipment!  Click here to read more .

Do your bit to save water – get involved in  

Water Saving Week – 23rd – 27th May   

Waste in the news

Here’s what we’ve been reading this week:

• We’re loving this new technology to help supermarkets reduce unnecessary food waste by automating date checking on fresh goods – read more here.

• Have you heard of a Repair Café?  Springing up in local communities, these repair drop-ins can give your electrical equipment a new lease of life.  Read the full article here. 

• The EU is looking to end fast fashion by 2030. Click here to read more.  Read our blog on the impact of fast fashion. 

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