New Small Electrical Recycling Service launched

The free collection service, which is the first time a kerbside collection has been available locally for recycling electricals, has launched this week helping 109,000 households across the city to get behind the drive to recycle their electricals. 

The Newcastle Small Electricals Service makes recycling unwanted or broken electricals easy.

The council will collect all items left for recycling from its residents' doorsteps through a fleet of electric vehicles, as part of ongoing efforts for Newcastle to become net zero by 2030 and to improve recycling rates.     

This is one of over 40 UK projects funded by Material Focus, the not for profit leading the Recycle Your Electricals campaign, who have provided £30,800 in funding for The Newcastle Small Electricals Service which will lead the way in Newcastle, joining other projects around the country in making it easier for 10 million UK residents to recycle their electricals. 

The Newcastle Small Electrical Recycling Service will be trialled for 12 months and aims to collect up to 30,000 items, which may not have been recycled otherwise. 

Residents can simply book a collection online at https://envirocall.newcastle.gov.uk/weee and then leave their recycling at their doorstep ready for collection. 

Unwanted or broken small electrical items including toasters, chargers and gadgets can all be left for recycling in a carrier bag, which will also be recycled as part of the council’s plastic bags and wrapping recycling trial.

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 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 Marion Williams, Cabinet member for a Connected, Clean City at Newcastle City Council, said: “With technology moving at such a fast pace, we are seeing more and more small electrical items being thrown away.

"Some people may not realise that the devices contain valuable materials and will put them in the bin, meaning we lose everything inside them,  which can instead be recycled.

“I think it’s great that we are launching the new service which will make it easier for residents to recycle their goods. The service will protect the environment and help create a greener and more sustainable city.”

"We are pleased to support The Newcastle Small Electrical Recycling Service that addresses the pressing issue of waste electricals.” 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

To book a collection, visit www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/environment-and-waste/rubbish-and-recycling/recycling/recycling-electrical-items