Government reform aims to see greater reuse and recycling of electrical goods
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The Government is set to make it easier for households to recycle electrical cords, devices and white goods under new UK-wide plans announced today (December 28).
New statistics show an estimated 155,000 tonnes of smaller household electricals such as cables, toasters, kettles and power tools are wrongly thrown in the bin each year.
UK homes are thought to hoard a further 527 million unwanted electrical items containing valuable materials such as gold, silver and platinum.
To power the transition to a circular economy, government proposals unveiled today will change how we all dispose of electrical equipment, both large and small, ensuring retailers can turn old goods into new wares.
The move builds on the major steps already taken by the Government this year to clamp down on plastic pollution and clean up our streets.
A range of measures are proposed within the joint UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive consultation for introduction from 2026, including-
UK-wide collections of waste electricals directly from households – saving the public from having to trek to distant electrical disposal points. The collections would be financed by producers of electrical items, not the taxpayer, and not necessarily require any further bins.
Large retailers rolling out collection drop points for electrical items in-store, free of charge, without the need to buy a replacement product.
Retailers and online sellers taking on responsibility for collecting unwanted or broken large electrical items such as fridges or cookers when delivering a replacement.
The proposals will mean consumers will be able to recycle their goods during their weekly shop or without even leaving the house.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is set to work closely with manufacturers, major retailers and small and medium enterprises throughout the consultation period to ensure the most efficient and accessible options become a reality.
Recycling Minister Robbie Moore said: "Every year millions of household electricals across the UK end up in the bin rather than being correctly recycled or reused.
"This is a sheer waste of our natural resources and has to stop.
"We all have a drawer of old tech somewhere that we don’t know what to do with and our proposals will ensure these gadgets are easy to dispose of without the need for a trip to your local tip. Our plans will also drive the move to a more circular economy and create new jobs by making all recycling simpler.
"The changes proposed also ensure suppliers of vapes properly finance the cost of their separate collection and treatment when the items become waste.
"Nearly 5 million vapes are now thrown away every week, the equivalent to eight per second and almost four times higher even than last year. Industry estimates the potential yearly cost of collecting and recycling vapes, which have been incorrectly disposed of, at £200 million.
"These measures build on the Prime Minister’s proposals to restrict the sale of disposable vapes, which is part of a separate consultation to create the first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping. These products are not only attractive to children but also incredibly harmful to the environment."
Elsewhere, the consultation proposes extending obligations to contribute to the collection of waste electricals and the financing of their recycling and preparation for reuse to online marketplaces such as Amazon. This would ensure that major international suppliers have to comply with the regulations as well – not just British businesses.
As such, the Government has today launched a 10-week consultation on the proposed improvements to the industry-funded scheme for waste electricals, as committed to in the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan earlier this year.
The Government is also moving forward with the implementation of our deposit return scheme for drinks containers and its extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging to boost recycling and clamp down on plastic pollution and litter.
A ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products has already been introduced alongside restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic items like straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds and last year’s world-leading Plastic Packaging Tax.
Meanwhile, the single-use plastic carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by more than 97 per cent in the main supermarkets.
