frequently asked questions
What small electrical items can I recycle?
Any small electrical or electronic item can be recycled, including mains or battery powered items as long as they are no bigger than 25cm x 15cm x 20cm (approx. 10inches x 6 inches x 8 inches)
Yes please:
- Kettles, toasters, irons and other small kitchen appliances
- Hairdryers, hair straighteners and hair clippers
- Clocks, watches, calculators and torches
- Remote controllers, mobile phones, cameras and chargers
- Mobile phones and laptop batteries
- Radios, alarms, mini hi-fi's and CD and MP3 Players
- Small electronic toys e.g. remote control cars
- Power tools, smoke detectors and thermostats
No thanks
- Light bulbs, fluorescent tubes
- Televisions, computer monitors of any size and laptops
- Fridges and freezers
- Washing machines, cookers and microwave ovens
- Glass/ceramic electrical items e.g. slow cookers or glass kettles
Some of these items are covered under our chargeable bulky waste collection service. To book a collection click here.
Please remember that items that are too large will not be collected. Please leave any cables and plugs attached to the electrical items. Remove all batteries from electrical items and place these with your other batteries a small clear bag.
Does the plug need taking off the appliance?
All cables and plugs should be left attached to the electrical item.
Do I need to remove batteries from the item?
Yes these should be removed from the item and placed with you other batteries in a small clear bag.
Why do batteries have to be removed from the items?
Batteries require a specialist process to recycle them and therefore have to be sent to a different re-processor than that of the unwanted electrical items. If the batteries are left in the electrical equipment it makes the separation more difficult for sorting and recycling.
Can I put more than one item out for collection?
Space is very limited on the collection vehicles therefore it is preferable if you put the item out as it becomes unwanted and not store until you have several items. If large quantities of items are left out for collection it will be at the discretion of the collector and the space available on the truck as to whether they will be all collected.
Can I put items beside the bin?
Items should be left on the lid of you black bin for collection; this help with the collection process and ensures they do not get accidentally missed by the crews. Power leads/cables should either be placed inside the item or wrapped around the item. Cables must not be left dangling from the item. During particularly windy weather we would request that items are not put out for collection to prevent the risk of items blowing away and are saved until the next collection.
Why can't these unwanted items be put into the green bin if they all go for recycling?
Electrical items are stripped down to the component parts e.g. metals and plastics and require specialist recycling process so cannot be recycled along with the contents of the green bin which include cans, cardboard packaging and glass which are sorted by conveyor belts at the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility).
My item is larger than 25cm x 15cm x 20cm and is not in the list, can I still recycle it?
If the item is bigger than 25cm x 15cm x 20cm it will not be collected. Items larger than this can still be recycled at your local household waste site.
It maybe that you want to book a chargeable bulky waste collection service instead. To book a collection click here.