Want to save the planet? Start by recycling your old gadgets and electrics

UK households have millions of old gadgets that can be recycled into new shiny ones 
Gregg Segal / Material Focus
Amelia Heathman24 June 2020

We’re all guilty of throwing away an old cable or gadget that we don’t use anymore and don’t think is worth selling. But those gadgets, from cables to speakers and laptops, whether hoarded or thrown in the rubbish bin are contributing to 2.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions — the equivalent to 1.3 million cars on the road according to research by Material Focus.

The non-profit is launching a new campaign to encourage people to recycle their small old electricals. Material Focus says UK households hoard 527 million small old electricals — the cables alone could circle the Earth more than five times.

Why should you recycle them? The old electric toothbrushes, toasters and old mobile phones contain valuable raw materials, such as gold, copper, aluminium and steel. If just the old laptops in UK homes were recycled, this could provide enough aluminium to produce 159,000 bikes - that would certainly help contribute to the UK’s current bike demand.

But, according to Material Focus’s executive director Scott Butler, the main issue is that people don’t know where to recycle their gadgets. “We know people want to do the right thing and recycle — it’s not a lack of good intentions, but rather the need for the right information and recycling facilities to do so,” he said.

As a result, the non-profit has set up a new postcode finder on recycleyourelectricals.org.uk so people can input their postcode and find details about the 2,000+ recycling, repair and reuse points across the UK where they can drop off their unwanted items. If there isn’t a spot near your home right now, then be sure to check back regularly as new collection and drop-off points are being added to the site on an ongoing basis.

If you have gadgets that are in a good enough condition to sell, it’s also worth checking out the likes of CEX, which has reopened many of its high street stores now. You can trade in old TVs, games, speakers and laptops. Apple also offers a recycling programme: the tech giant has a designated robot named Daisy that can take apart up to 200 iPhones per hour and sort through to find the valuable components, such as gold, copper, lithium and aluminium, that can be used for new iPhones.

With all that spring cleaning everyone has been doing in the lockdown, you’re sure to have a gadget or two that can be recycled in this way.

“We want everyone to know that all old electricals — that’s everything with a plug, battery or cable — can be recycled,” added Butler.

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