Problems with electrical waste - Recycle Your Electricals

What are the problems with electrical waste?

Every year in the UK, we throw away over 100,000 tonnes of electricals instead of reusing or recycling them. This e-waste is hazardous, and harms people, the planet and the economy. It’s also mostly avoidable.

Top view of an open cardboard box full of old electrical items against a bright blue background.

Lost materials

When we bin electricals, we lose valuable, finite materials forever. Last year in the UK, people bought over 500 million FastTech items — and binned 471 million of them. We also threw away 627 million cables, enough to reach the moon and back.

Lumps of molten silver, bronze, and gold melted together on a bright blue background.

Lost value

Throwing away copper, lithium and aluminium costs the UK economy £488 million a year. Recycling electricals instead reduces the need for destructive mining – and increases access to materials vital for our energy systems, healthcare and modern life.

Two children, one dark skinned wearing glasses, one medium-light skinned, sitting cross legged using tablets against a bright blue background.

Social impact

The average UK home stores 30 unwanted electricals. That’s more than 880 million unused items nationwide. Most people would happily donate them — if only it were easier. Your unwanted electricals could be helping others, instead of sitting around redundant in your home.

Impact on nature

Electrical waste contains hazardous materials, and batteries that can spark fires when crushed in bin lorries. Mining and pollution damage land, water and wildlife. Recycling unwanted electricals could save as much CO₂ as taking 3.8 million cars off the road.

Never bin batteries or electricals!

Humans, if we throw batteries or old electricals in with our household rubbish or recycling bins, they can spark FIRES when crushed in bin or recycling lorries.

You wiiiill recycle them separately, my furless friends.

Recycle them safely

CHEAP AND CHEERFUL?

Is ‘FastTech’ the new Fast Fashion?

‘FastTech’ describes cheap, everyday electricals that often have a short lifespan – meaning they may be seen as disposable even when they’re not.

Over half a billion FastTech items were thrown away last year, and a shocking 90% of them were discarded soon after being bought. From fairy lights and fans, to handheld vacuums and single-use vapes – inside every one of those products are valuable materials that could have been recovered and reused.

Find out more about ‘FastTech’