How to recycle electricals Small electrical items

Recycling small electrical items

While many major retailers and most councils have established facilities for recycling large electrical appliances, it can be tempting to place smaller Weee in the bin with the rest of the household rubbish.

When Which? surveyed 1,007 consumers in August 2009 about what they did with small electrical items – such as irons, DVD players and hairdryers – more than half agreed it's easier to throw away small electrical items than it is to recycle them.

Only 53% knew they could dispose of them separately from the rest of their rubbish for recycling. More than 70% said they still had old electrical products at home while they decided what to do with them.

A quarter of those who'd disposed of an electrical item in the last two years threw it away with the rest of their household rubbish – almost half doing so because they didn’t know what else to do with it.

The top small electrical items you have at home but no longer use include video recorders (31%), radios (25%), irons (22%), DVD players (22%), kettles (22%) and digital cameras (22%).

How to recycle waste electrical goods

More than 40% of those surveyed said they knew that they should recycle small electrical items, but found it a hassle to do so – and 42% felt guilty for not recycling more.

It might be easier than you think to recycle your old electricals, though. There are lots of options for safely disposing of Weee and electrical goods, including using local recycling centres and donating items to charity.

Retailers' collection services are a convenient way to recycle large appliances

Stores' collection service

When you buy a new appliance, ask the retailer or manufacturer if they offer a removal service for your old one and if there is a charge for this service. Some manufacturers will pick up old appliances when they deliver new ones, and dispose of them for you. But most will suggest contacting your local authority about disposal. This can be particularly useful when replacing larger items like washing machines, ovens and fridges.

Store take-back scheme

Some retailers allow you to drop off old electrical items for recycling when buying a new like-for-like electrical product . Ask in stores to find out whether your retailer offers this service.

Local recycling centre

Contact your local recycling centre to find out what types of Weee and electrical equipment they accept and in what condition. You can find your local recycling centre using the Recycle Now website.

Council collection service

You can still make use of the system even if you're not making a new electrical purchase. Ask your council to pick up your unwanted electrical products – they must collect it if you ask, but may charge a fee.

Donate electrical goods to charity

Donate you old mobile phone to charity or sell it for cash

Some charity shops, such as selected branches of Cancer Research UK, Oxfam and British Heart Foundation accept small electrical items. Consider donating working items such as radios, food processors and MP3 players to charity shops, but always call ahead to check your item can be accepted.

Use a specialist recycling service

Many charities and commercial services specialise in reusing and recycling unwanted electrical equipment. Options include:

• Old mobile phones are collected by many charities such as Help the Aged. You can also sell your old mobile phone through companies such as Mopay, Mazuma and Envirofone. 
• The Furniture Reuse Network has an interactive map which will find your nearest re-use charity, and many of these will take electrical goods.
• Donate a PC matches unneeded computing hardware (computers, printers etc) to UK charities, not-for-profit organisations and educational establishments.
• You can also make money recycling mobile phones, MP3 players and digital cameras using the Royal Mail's Simply Drop scheme.

Make money recycling waste electricals and other products

Mobile phones aren't the only item you can make money recycling – our guide to making money by going green includes some ideas on making extra cash from unwanted items.

Use an online auction site such as eBay to sell on unwanted electrical items in good condition. See our guide to selling on eBay for tips and advice.

Give away Weee 

Give away working electrical items to those that need them through community reusing schemes such as Freecycle, Freegle or Don't Dump That.