The cable clutter chronicles: real stories from The Great Cable Challenge

22nd October 2024

Written by: Charlotte Davies

We’ve all got one of those drawers, haven’t we? You know, the one overflowing with tangled chargers and forgotten cables that haven’t seen the light of day in years. You might not think much about it, but what if we told you that the UK alone is throwing away and holding onto a staggering 627 million cables? That’s enough to stretch all the way to the moon and back!

Those forgotten cables are more than just clutter—they’re packed with precious copper. This copper, when recycled, could help meet the growing demand for the metal in the UK’s push for a greener future. With copper becoming more scarce and mining taking a serious toll on our planet, it’s clear: we need to rethink our cable chaos. And the solution is easier than you think—recycle what you already have!

Kirsty from Bristol

Kirsty is a 26-year-old university staff member from Bristol who lives with her partner in a small flat. Due to their lack of storage space, Kirsty finds herself overwhelmed with all of her old electricals and cables which are stored away in her “bag of doom” – a large travelling rucksack full of hidden copper, laying there taking up needed space in her spare room. 

Kirsty’s unused tech consists of a dead laptop, broken blender, an old hoover, broken iPod and more. Tangling up all of these electricals are over ten broken chargers, unknown wires and defunct computer cables. Kirsty has kept hold of some of these electricals for over three years but wants to get rid of them in a responsible and sustainable way. 

The reason she keeps hold of them is because she’s considered repairing them or selling them on, but doesn’t have the time or finances to get round to it. Kirsty, wanting to make a positive sustainable change, has recycled her electricals for the first time and freed up some needed space in her flat.

Leroy from Nottingham

Leroy, 47, is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast and environmental advocate based in Nottingham, who has always been passionate about recycling and minimising waste. 

Leroy estimates to have 50 cables taking up space in drawers and bags in his home, from HDMI cables to old chargers, in what he says resembles a tangled spaghetti bowl. In amongst these cables are unused electricals such as a laptop, a kettle, a broken phone and outdated gadgets. 

Leroy participates in an E-waste collection day meet up with his neighbours once a month to get rid of unused electricals and to see which electricals are worth getting fixed. As well as this, he has been to his local recycling drop off point before, and still has electricals and cables to recycle. Leroy is now keen to encourage fellow tech lovers to declutter their homes sustainably.

Melanie from Cumbria 

Mel is a 41-year-old NHS staff nurse who has accumulated a lot of tech over the years, especially through her wider work as a musician and open-mic host. Mel’s bulging bags and drawers of doom include 60+ cables, from 20 year old Ethernet and modem cables to chargers and damaged XLR/microphone cables, headphones and mobile phones. She added that she has even kept hold of, but never used, a brand-new landline phone set that is about 16 years old!

Despite being a keen recycler of old batteries and bicycle inner tubes already (through the Cycle 4 Good programme), Mel is keen to break her habit of holding onto old and broken tech just because she believes it might be useful one day or possible to repair. She is only recently aware of just how simple it is to recycle anything with a plug, battery or cable and has already taken her cables to be recycled through a retail take-back scheme as part of the Great Cable Challenge.

Jean Johansson from Scotland

Glaswegian TV Presenter and Broadcast Journalist, Jean Johansson, is known for her roles on flagship Channel 4 show A Place in the Sun, as well as being a regular reporter for The One Show with stints on ITV This Morning. 

Jean first started recycling electricals back in 2021, after realising she had a variety of electricals from cheap Black Friday deals. Since then, Jean has been an advocate for recycling electricals, saying it’s just as easy and important as recycling clothes.

Nowadays, Jean has made a habit of rounding up cables and electricals, to take them to her nearest donation point. Noting how easy it is, Jean’s local recycling point is the Co-op in Wemyss bay, which is just a five minute walk from her house. 

She’ll fill boxes with about 30-40 cables, with electricals including a hairdryer, kettle, headphones and a blender! Jean also gets her 13 year old son involved, and they enjoy taking the challenge together.

Kids Against Plastic from Nottingham

‘Kids Against Plastic’ was created by Amy and Ella Meek, who started their environmental work when they were just 12 and 10 years old. 

Having been concerned about the amount of single-use plastic being used and littered, and the impact it was having on the environment and the wildlife we share this planet with, they took serious action.

They admit that recycling electricals wasn’t the first thing that jumped to mind when addressing issues like plastic pollution and e-waste, but now realise the real impact it can have. 

When getting involved in The Great Cable Challenge, Amy and Ella managed to find over 10 cables throughout their house, in various cupboards and drawers. Their local drop off point was their local Curry’s, about 5 minutes away, and they were surprised with how quick the process was. 

The young campaigners say they’ve now realised the importance of recycling electricals and how the challenge serves as a reminder to how interlinked issues are, how key it is to be aware and how every bit helps.

Join the millions taking one small action to make a big difference

So, are you ready to tackle that drawer of doom once and for all? The Great Cable Challenge is here to help you clear out those forgotten cables and give them a new life! Whether you’ve got old phone chargers, tangled HDMI cords, or mysterious wires that you’re not even sure what they belong to, it’s time to bag them up and recycle them. Not only will you free up some much-needed space, but you’ll also be playing a part in building a greener, more sustainable future. Let’s do this—one cable at a time!

Visit our recycling locator to find all your local drop-off points.