FUJIFILM UK Ltd, together with other UK photographic manufacturers, has been conducting a successful Single-Use Camera Recycling Scheme since 1990.

The Single-Use Camera Recycling Scheme is a free-of-charge environmental service, accepting all makes of single-use camera from participating photo-processing laboratories.

The Scheme works by collecting empty single-use cameras from photo-processing laboratories, transporting them to a central location in the UK where they are sorted and returned to their original manufacturer for recycling. The collection and transport is combined with existing planned waste collections in order to minimise environmental impact. A very high proportion (>80%) of single-use cameras sold and sent for processing in the UK are collected and recycled in this way.

FUJIFILM recommends that empty single-use cameras should be packed into used colour paper shipping boxes. When these are full, they can be collected by your waste contractor at the same time as the photo-chemical effluent. They will then be sorted and returned to the original manufacturer for recycling of components and materials.

For more information on how your business can join the scheme, please email environment@fuji.co.uk for more details.

The FUJIFILM Quicksnap ‘Inverse Manufacturing System'

Once the single-use cameras reach the FUJIFILM inverse manufacturing factory they are disassembled - a process made easy by their design without screws or adhesives. The component parts such as shutter mechanism, battery, flash unit and lens undergo rigorous inspection and quality testing and are then re-used in manufacture. This process is made easy as these components are designed to fit all models of Quicksnap. Those components not suitable for re-use, such as the outer body shell and the film winding knob are melted down and recycled into new parts. Typically the Quicksnap is a 95% recycled product.

Full details of this scheme can be obtained by email: environment@fuji.co.uk