Distribution specialist will take away customers old fridges and dispose of them responsibly
Comet has awarded supply chain company Wincanton a contract to provide clearing services for customers' electrical goods, which have been replaced by new purchases.

The deal is part of the retailer's strategy to adopt the changes in disposing of items that are potentially harmful to the environment, brought about by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.

Under the EU regulations due to come into force in August, retailers are required to provide facilities for customers to dispose of their old appliances when they buy new products.

According to the Environment Agency, UK householders and businesses throw away at least 1 million tonnes of electrical and electronic equipment each year and the amount is growing by up to 80,000 tonnes a year.

Comet head of services Phil Heaton said: 'Wincanton is able to provide a one-stop solution to meet our WEEE collection needs, as well as the right specialist experience to extract maximum value from the end-of-life equipment.'

Wincanton will operate six regional centres for sorting of disposed appliances. Where possible, some items will be refurbished for re-use. Wincanton also has facilities for recycling fridges and televisions. The remaining items will be recycled at local recycling facilities.

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