New small electricals recycling collection points unveiled around the district
Wakefield Council and waste partner Renewi today unveiled new recycling collection points, located across the district, to help make recycling old and unwanted electricals easier for locals.
Together, they hope the district’s 350,000 residents will get behind their drive to recycle more. Used electricals can now be taken to any Council-run library and 15 new bring sites located across the district. The installation of these new collection points means that locals now have access to 28 sites, with a drop-off point in every community, where used small electricals can be recycled.
The expansion across the Wakefield district is one of over 40 projects funded by Material Focus, the not for profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, who have provided £33,300 for the local Council’s waste partner Renewi to install the additional collection points.
Wakefield Council and Renewi will lead the way locally, joining other projects around the country in making it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals.
Electrical items the size of a microwave or smaller can be recycled and anything larger can continue to be taken to one of the three Household Waste Recycling Centres located around the district.
It is important that used and unwanted electricals are recycled. Everything with a plug, battery or cable can either be reused or elements can be turned into anything from children’s playgrounds to life-saving equipment. It is crucial that electrical items are recycled through approved and regulated UK recyclers. Many have batteries inside that can cause bin or lorry fires, or recycling centre fires if discarded in household waste.
Residents will be made aware of how and where they can recycle their electricals through information on eye-catching posters and adverts featuring HypnoCat. Keep an eye out for HypnoCat, the Recycle Your Electricals mesmerising pink, fluffy mascot, he is on a mission to hypnotise local residents into recycling their electricals.
The aim of the nationwide Electricals Recycling Fund is to significantly reduce e-waste and its environmental impact by making it easier for consumers to recycle their electricals. The projects that have been funded by Material Focus include a variety of recycling methods, from kerbside collections to more drop-off points in schools, community centres, and bring banks. Overall there will be over 400 new collection points plus kerbside collections for 5.5 million UK residents.
Recycle Your Electricals research has shown that 80% of consumers believe recycling is a good thing, and many of us already recycle things like paper and plastic. Research has also shown that most of us have unwanted electricals we want to get rid of, even if it’s just a drawer of cables – millions of electrical items are hoarded in UK homes. And yet 39% of people who bin electricals rather than recycle them say they think it’s simply too hard to recycle. The aim of these projects is to overcome these issues by making it easier to recycle electricals.
Cllr Jack Hemingway, Wakefield Council deputy leader and cabinet member for the environment, said:
“We know most people in the Wakefield district want to recycle as much of their waste as they can. We want to make it as easy as possible for them to do that, with an electrical recycling point in every community. Recycling old electronics is better for the planet and the economy, by reusing valuable resources like metals.”
David Heseltine, Contract Director of Renewi Wakefield, said:
“We hope this project will make it easier for Wakefield district residents to recycle electrical items by increasing recycling locations across the district to 28 sites. We are very grateful that our project was chosen for funding by the Electricals Recycling Fund and are hoping to see a reduction in the amount of electricals we find in household bins.”
“We are pleased to support Wakefield Council and Renewi’s project that addresses the pressing issue of e-waste,” said Scott Butler, Executive Director of Material Focus. “By investing in improved collection and drop-off services and exploring new recycling methods, we are taking a significant step towards creating a more sustainable future by making it easier for 10 million more people to recycle their electricals.”
To find your nearest recycling point search recycle your electricals
