What should I do with my waste electricals?
Every year, UK consumers and businesses buy about 1.6 million tonnes of new electrical and electronic equipment and just under 0.6 million tonnes waste electrical and electronic equipment (known as WEEE) is reported as recycled. WEEE is made from valuable materials which can be recycled and – in some cases – contains hazardous materials which need to be treated properly.
Just as we sort our plastic bottles and tins from paper and compostables, we need to separate our unwanted electrical and electronic items for responsible recycling and take them to a local recycling centre.
The best thing to do is to take any unwanted electrical and electronic items you have on your next trip to the recycling centre, perhaps when you take garden or other waste, rather than making a separate journey. It’s better for the environment and less hassle for you.
Some of the components used to make electrical and electronic items can be hazardous and harmful to the environment, while others can be recycled and reused. Some are even precious and contain gold, silver or palladium.
Your role is to do the right thing with your unwanted product. That means resell, reuse or recycle – but never waste.
Any unwanted items with this symbol on should be taken to a recycling centre near you:
