Ransomes Jacobsen has always been the industry leader when it comes to environmental issues and, once again, it has demonstrated its commitment with the introduction of an End-of-Life Mower disposal programme.
This new programme, which will be marketed under the acronym ELMO, is the result of a partnership agreement between the Ipswich-based turf equipment manufacturer and Autogreen, one of the UK’s leading compliance scheme operators. Autogreen manage a professional network of automotive dismantlers committed to providing fully compliant automotive treatment facilities in accordance with the European Union’s End-of-Life Vehicle Directive.
“We have introduced this programme for turf equipment, long before legislation demands it,” says David Withers, Ransomes Jacobsen’s managing director, “because we think it is the right thing to do. We are a forward thinking organisation and recognise that we have a moral duty to do all we can to protect our collective environment. By partnering with Autogreen we can hook into their existing infrastructure to implement this recycling programme.
“The service we offer will be identical to the motor manufacturers’ scheme in that it will be free of charge to the last owner of the machine. Our national network of dealers will be the collection point for end-users in their respective territories and they will simply call Autogreen and request collection. Autogreen will provide transport at their cost and convenience to collect the product for disposal at one of the fully compliant facilities.”
Once the machine reaches an Autogreen Centre, they will decant all the liquid materials, remove elements of the product such as electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and batteries that are subject to recycling legislation in their own right, leaving a steel carcass which is crushed and made available for melting. They will also record the product details including product identity and serial number and then produce a ‘Certificate of Disposal’ which is made available to customers, as required.
“We have to be responsible for our products from the beginning to the end of their lifecycle. And we have to be seen to be taking this responsibility seriously,” concluded David Withers. “By introducing our ELMO programme voluntarily, we are clearly demonstrating our commitment to environmental matters.”
Ransomes Jacobsen www.ransomesjacobsen.com