Does your pet have more tech than you?

26th August 2026

Smart feeders. GPS trackers. Pet cameras. Automatic toys. If your pet has more tech than your kitchen, you’re certainly not alone.

You might not have heard the term PetTech, but it’s one of the fastest-growing categories of electrical products. From keeping an eye on your pet while you’re out to making sure they never miss dinner, we’re buying more gadgets to keep our pets happy, healthy and entertained.

And we’re buying a lot of them. Nearly 67 million PetTech products were bought in the UK in just 12 months – that’s around one every two seconds. But nearly 30 million were thrown away over the same period.

So, what should you do with the PetTech you no longer need?

Still working? Give it a second life

Before you put that old pet gadget back in the drawer, ask yourself, could someone else make use of it?

If your pet has outgrown their GPS tracker, lost interest in their automatic toy or simply has more gadgets than they know what to do with, why not pass it on? A friend with a new puppy, a local animal rescue or a charity shop might be able to give it a second life.

Reusing electricals keeps them in use for longer and could help someone else save money too. And let’s be honest, your pet probably won’t notice that you’ve given away the toy they haven’t touched in six months. 

Broken? Recycle it

If your PetTech has reached the end of its life, don’t let it become a permanent resident of the kitchen drawer. If it has a plug, battery or cable, it can be recycled.

Whether it’s a grooming tool that’s seen better days, an old pet camera or the laser toy your cat ignored after approximately three minutes, these are all electricals that can be recycled.

Many PetTech products contain valuable and finite materials that can be recovered and used again. And if they contain batteries, recycling them properly helps prevent them from ending up in the waste system, where they can cause dangerous fires.

The good news is recycling electricals is easier than you might think.

There are over 30,000 places across the UK where you can reuse or recycle electricals, and in many urban areas your nearest drop-off point is less than a 15-minute walk away. So you might not even need to take the car – although your dog will probably still appreciate the walk.

Time for a PetTech clear-out?

As PetTech becomes a bigger part of pet ownership, it’s likely we’ll all have more cluttering up our homes. So next time you’re having a clear-out, don’t forget to check the pet supplies box, the kitchen drawer or that cupboard full of gadgets you’ve been meaning to sort out.

Whether you reuse, donate or recycle, giving unwanted PetTech a second life is easier than you think.

Your pet might not notice the difference (unless you’re recycling their favourite squeaky robot), but it’s one small action that can make a big difference.

Ready to clear out your PetTech?

Visit our Recycle Your Electricals Recycling Locator to find your nearest reuse or recycling point.

And remember PetTech and anything with a plug, battery or cable, should never be binned. Always reuse or recycle it.