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Make recycling top of spring-clean list
Posted on 19/03/2009
Highways, Transportation & Waste Management
Residents planning to de-clutter their homes during a spring-clean are being urged to recycle any old electrical items rather than bin them.
Old kettles and mobile phones may not be top of the spring-clean list but research shows that each household has at least three unwanted electrical items.
Many people say they recycle mobile phones, televisions, computers and vacuum cleaners but other items such as electric toothbrushes, hairdryers, electronic toys and hegde-clippers were rarely recycled - many end up being thrown out with the household rubbish.
Leicestershire County Council has teamed up with Recycle Now on the new dont bin it, bring it campaign which encourages people to take these items to one of the countys 14 recycling and household waste sites where they are separated for recycling. Electrical retailers are also obliged to offer help and advice and many provide recycling take back services.
Launching this Saturday (21st March) at Fosse Park, it includes a poster and leaflet campaign, a dedicated website and roadshows across the county.
154 million small electrical products were bought in the UK in the last year alone, weighing a staggering 551,000 tonnes in total or 22kgs per household but only around 10% of this was recycled.
Between April and December last year, families in Leicestershire recycled 1,054 tonnes of electrical waste that’s the equivalent of three irons, eight hairdryers or 38 electric toothbrushes per household.
Nicholas Rushton said: "Electrical items that use disposable batteries, have a mains cable or need recharging can all be recycled. The raw materials can then be put to new uses - for example, a typical iron contains enough steel to make 13 food cans.
“This campaign is another important way of encouraging Leicestershire residents to recycle more.”
The ‘Don’t bin it bring it’ roadshows are taking place between 10am and 3pm in:
Blaby District - Fosse Park - Saturday, 21st March
Harborough District - Sainsburys Market Harborough - Friday, 3rd April
North West Leicestershire - Morrisons Coalville - Friday, 17th April
Melton - Melton Mowbray Market - Tuesday, 26th May
Charnwood - Loughborough Market - Thursday, 11th June
Hinckley and Bosworth - Hinckley Market - w/c 11th May (tbc)
Oadby and Wigston - Asda Oadby - Thursday 23rd April (tbc)
There are 14 dedicated facilities for collecting waste electrical goods.
Residents can find their nearest drop-off point using the postcode locator at www.dontbinitbringit.org
For more information on recycling, or to find the nearest recycling and household waste site, visit www.leics.gov.uk/waste or call 0116 305 0001.
Notes:
Small electricals can be dismantled into raw materials and put to new uses - a typical iron contains enough steel to make 13 food cans and plastic recycled from small household appliances such as kettles or irons can be re-used in new items such as games consoles or hairdryers.
Recycle Now has developed the following four-step plan to help this spring:
1. Getting started
If clutter has been building up for a while, knowing where to start can be difficult. That’s why it can help to start with a certain type of item such as small electrical goods. It can be easy to feel disheartened, but it’s okay if you don’t get everything done straightaway the key thing is that you’ve chosen to take a first step.
2. Why not try grouping like with like together
A good way to start can be to choose one category of small electrical products for example small kitchen appliances, personal care items such as hairdryers or shavers, DIY and garden electricals or electronic devices like mobiles and cameras. Then you can gather all the products of a similar type together. Looking in any little hiding places such as the garage, the ‘junk room’ or maybe the loft can also help. Somehow, it becomes much easier to discard that old personal stereo that you no longer listen to, when it’s next to your shiny new mp3 player. If you start with the easy things - the items that are broken, worn-out or unused, it makes the whole process much easier. Normally it is best to make a decision quickly, and move on to the next item.
3. Can it be recycled?
It couldn’t be easier to check which electrical products can be recycled. If it has a mains cable or uses replaceable batteries or needs charging or has the crossed-out wheelie bin logo on it, you can recycle it.
4. How to find your local recycling centre
Many local authority recycling centres accept waste electrical and electronic products, but it’s worth checking the postcode locator first at www.dontbinitbringit.org to find your nearest one.
Alternatively, you can visit www.leics.gov.uk/waste or call 0116 305 0001.
Recycle Now is a campaign to encourage people in England to recycle more things, more often run by government-funded WRAP who help individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more.
The photo below shows examples of electrical items which can be recycled.
