POPs can be present in the furniture’s fabric, and a lower concentration can be found in the foam filling. These materials must be sent for incineration.
Examples of up-holstered furniture covered under POPs.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are highly toxic chemical substances that present a serious health threat to both humans and wildlife. In soft furnishings, POPs are present in the form of brominated fire retardants. POPs can accumulate in the fatty tissue of humans and other living organisms for long periods of time and are resistant to degradation, which can cause harmful effects to the environment and disrupt normal biological functions.
Why the change in legislation?
An investigation conducted by The Environmental Agency confirmed that there is a widespread presence of POPs in domestic seating items and that any seat covered in fabric contains POPs well over the threshold limits. When these items become waste, strict measures must be taken to ensure that POPs are not released into the environment and will not contaminate other waste or recycling materials.
How to manage POPs in waste?
Domestic seating containing POPs cannot be recycled, landfilled, or prepared for reuse. It is highly imperative that these toxic chemicals are destroyed and removed from use. Upholstered furniture must be disposed of via incineration to protect the ecosystem and human health. Energy from Waste plants operate at 1000°c, effectively destroying the flame retardants found in domestic seating. This process includes the shredding of waste, with additional control measures to reduce the risk of POPs entering the environment.
Which items can and can’t you throw out?
Waste upholstered domestic seating that do not contain POPs can be identified and stored separately, however, the only way to do this is by using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanners. These scanners are highly expensive and require specially trained operators to use them. Therefore, for reasons of simplification, all upholstered furniture is considered POPs.
Phone: 01929 793026 Home: Click here Copyright 2011-2023 Hms Recycling. All Rights Reserved
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
