Small electricals or battery-powered items
Recycle your small electricals or battery-powered items
Did you know that you can recycle your small electricals or battery-powered items on your waste or recycling collection day. Please place the items in a standard size carrier bag and place them on top of either your blue recycling or green general waste bin.
Please do not place items inside bins as this can be extremely hazardous.
If the electrical items won’t fit into a carrier bag, then they will be too large to fit into the compartments on our collection vehicles. If you have any large household items that need collecting you can use our bulky item collection service or alternatively, you can take them to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre.
What electrical items can be collected at kerbside
- Kitchen appliances (for example toasters, kettles, food blenders, coffee machines, digital scales)
- Home appliances (such as irons, fans, radios, lamps, clocks, DVD players)
- Personal care/grooming appliances (including shavers, electric toothbrushes, hair dryers/curlers/straighteners)
- Small electrical DIY tools
- Desktop fan
- Cameras
- Games consoles
- Tablets/e-readers
- Laptops/ laptop chargers
- Computer keyboard and mouse
- Small printer/ shredder
- Christmas lights, fairy lights, solar-powered lights (LED only)
- Children’s electronic toys (such as remote control car)
- Plug in/digital clocks
- Fire / CO2 alarms
- Watches
- Calculators
- Torches
- Remote controls
- Radios
- Mini hi-fis
- Cassette players
- Small sewing machine
- Wires, plugs and chargers
- Mini home foot spa
What electrical items can not be recycled at kerbside
- TVs and PC monitors
- fluorescent tubes and energy-saving light bulbs
- ink cartridges and toners
- fridges and freezers
- washing machines
- dishwashers
- car batteries
- cookers
- microwave ovens
- vacuum cleaners
- glass or ceramic electrical items (e.g. slow cookers or glass kettles)
Recycle vapes at kerbside
We also now accept vapes for recycling. Please ensure you place any vapes inside a small, clear plastic bag that is either tied or sealed, and then put on top of either your green general waste bin or your blue recycling bin on your collection day. Please don't mix vapes with batteries or small electrical items as these need to be separate. There are also some dedicated drop-off locations where you can use in-store bins to recycle your vapes. To find your nearest drop-off point, please use the Waste Wizard.
What happens to the items once they are collected?
The items are taken to a reprocessing plant where they are shredded into small pieces. Once shredded, strong magnets remove ferrous metals, such as steel. Other non-metallic metals are removed by using electronic currents. Plastic is sorted into types by using various methods such as near infrared light and density separation. All the raw materials are then distributed to create brand new things.
What to do with unwanted small electrical items that are still in good condition
Items that are still in working order can be re-used. National charities such as British Heart Foundation collect electrical items, as do some of the smaller local charities. They welcome electrical items that are suitable for re-sale, as they can generate precious funding for their charity.