Small electricals kerbside collection service and community recycling banks launched

You can now easily recycle your unwanted small electrical items at 20 new community recycling banks, or with your weekly kerbside mixed recycling (black box) collection.

From 18 March, local electrical recycling services are expanding to make it extremely simple for residents to responsibly dispose of unwanted small electrical items, rather than tossing them in the bin.

This is among the largest of over 40 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not-for-profit organisation leading the national Recycle Your Electricals campaign. Anything with a plug, battery or cable up to the size of a two-slice toaster can be recycled and turned into something new through this scheme.

Twenty new bright pink banks have been installed in convenient locations in our communities, in addition to the 10 small electricals recycling wheelie bins that already exist in most of our libraries. 

Additionally, households that currently receive kerbside recycling collections can now easily recycle small electrical items from home. Simply present used, broken and unwanted small electrical items next to your weekly mixed container (black box) collections, in a standard-size, open carrier bag. 

Research has shown that most of us have unwanted electricals we want to get rid of, and on average there are at least 30 electricals hidden away in drawers in UK homes, a total of 880 million items across the UK. However, 39% of people bin electricals, rather than recycle or reuse them, leading to over 100,000 tonnes of electricals thrown away every year.

Visit our electricals recycling webpage to find:

• Your nearest community recycling bank
• A list of items that can and cannot be recycled at a local community bank or through the new kerbside collection service
• How to recycle larger electrical items
• Local ways you can donate, repair or exchange unwanted electrical items in good condition